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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. land — a country
  4. scale — in music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mate — a partner
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. charge — electricity
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chair — a leader
  15. charge — a price
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mate — a friend
  18. charge — in control
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. land — to come down
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. land — ground

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