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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fall — the season
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fall — to drop
  8. charge — in control
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mate — to breed
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fall — to drop
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. charge — a price
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. charge — electricity

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