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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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 — a friend
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. mate — a partner
  8. last — to go on
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mate — to breed
  11. last — final
  12. charge — electricity
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bear — the animal
  15. plane — a tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cell — in biology
  19. charge — in control
  20. last — finally
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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