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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. charge — in control
  3. object — a thing
  4. fall — the season
  5. object — an aim
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. squash — to crush
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. fall — to drop
  12. object — to protest
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. mate — a partner
  17. fall — to drop
  18. charge — a price
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. charge — electricity
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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