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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mate — a friend
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chair — a leader
  7. charge — in control
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. object — a thing
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — to protest
  15. snap — to click
  16. wind — moving air
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. charge — a price
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mate — a partner
  22. craft — a skill
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. craft — boats

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