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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. staff — employees
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pitch — completely
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. charge — in control
  10. fall — to drop
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. fall — to drop
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — a price
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pass — a permit
  17. fall — the season
  18. mate — to breed
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. staff — employees
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pass — to spend time

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