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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. charge — a price
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. march — the month
  5. game — a match
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. drill — a practice
  9. content — the amount
  10. mate — a partner
  11. content — happy
  12. charge — in control
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. charge — electricity
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. march — the month
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. drill — army training
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. march — music
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. drill — the tool

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