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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. charge — in control
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. charge — electricity
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. date — the fruit
  8. rash — hasty
  9. season — of the year
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mate — a friend
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chip — to eat
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mate — a partner
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rash — a series
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. season — in sport
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. charge — a price

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