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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. charge — electricity
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. march — music
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. spring — of water
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. date — the fruit
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. charge — in control
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com