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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. march — music
  3. charge — a price
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tube — a container
  8. dip — to sink
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. charge — electricity
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. tube — the underground
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. charge — in control
  19. file — a document
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. file — a tool
  22. mate — to breed
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bear — to put up with

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