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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stem — to come from
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mate — to breed
  6. can — a tin
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. can — to be able to
  9. file — a document
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. charge — in control
  14. file — a tool
  15. charge — a price
  16. mate — a friend
  17. can — a tin
  18. season — in sport
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. season — of the year
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. file — a line of people
  23. charge — electricity
  24. mate — a partner

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