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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. mate — a friend
  3. present — a gift
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. craft — boats
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mate — a partner
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. chest — of your body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. craft — a skill
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. row — a line
  20. chest — a box
  21. roll — a cake
  22. chest — of your body
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mate — to breed

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