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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. spring — a coil
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. land — ground
  7. firm — a company
  8. charge — electricity
  9. mate — to breed
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. march — music
  12. charge — a price
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. charge — in control
  16. march — the month
  17. firm — decided
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spring — of water
  20. march — the month
  21. spring — the season
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mate — a partner
  24. firm — steady

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