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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. land — a country
  5. charge — a price
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. file — a document
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. land — to come down
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stem — to come from
  15. file — a tool
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. land — ground
  19. charge — electricity
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. charge — in control
  22. file — a line of people
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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