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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. drill — the tool
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. lean — to bend
  6. mate — a friend
  7. court — of law
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. court — for sport
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. court — of a king
  16. lean — thin
  17. wake — a trail
  18. drill — army training
  19. charge — in control
  20. mate — to breed
  21. season — of the year
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. season — in sport
  24. drill — a practice

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