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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. charge — electricity
  4. root — the cause
  5. mate — a partner
  6. race — a contest
  7. charge — in control
  8. land — ground
  9. craft — boats
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mark — a trace
  12. fall — the season
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. root — of a word
  17. race — humankind
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. race — the arms race
  20. charge — a price
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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