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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fine — all right
  3. game — a match
  4. charge — a price
  5. fine — high quality
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — in control
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bank — for money
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mate — to breed

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