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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. content — the amount
  4. mate — a partner
  5. row — to paddle
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. race — the arms race
  8. charge — electricity
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. charge — in control
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. race — humankind
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. content — happy
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mate — to breed
  23. charge — a price
  24. race — a contest

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