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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mine — for digging
  3. land — to come down
  4. branch — a division
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wake — a trail
  10. charge — in control
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. charge — a price
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. charge — electricity
  19. land — a country
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. land — ground
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. branch — of a bank

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