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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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. charge — electricity
  3. spell — magic
  4. charge — a price
  5. last — to go on
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mug — a cup
  8. charge — in control
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. mug — a face
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mug — to rob
  17. last — finally
  18. spell — letters
  19. last — final
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pitcher — a jug

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