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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mate — a friend
  4. charge — a price
  5. board — to get on
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cell — a phone
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mate — a partner
  15. charge — electricity
  16. land — to come down
  17. mark — a trace
  18. board — a committee
  19. land — ground
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. mate — to breed
  23. land — a country
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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