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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. charge — electricity
  10. spell — magic
  11. charge — in control
  12. field — for sport
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cold — not warm
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. field — a subject
  17. spell — letters
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cold — an illness
  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