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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. shower — to wash
  7. swing — in golf
  8. mate — a friend
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. mate — to breed
  12. spell — a short time
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fine — all right
  15. swing — music
  16. shower — rain
  17. spell — magic
  18. fine — high quality
  19. board — a committee
  20. charge — electricity
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. spell — letters
  24. mine — belonging to me

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