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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. charge — a price
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. charge — electricity
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. charge — in control
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wound — an injury
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. club — a group
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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