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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. cold — not warm
  3. board — to get on
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. charge — in control
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. mate — a partner
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mark — a grade
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — a price
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mate — to breed
  22. board — a committee
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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