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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. bear — to put up with
  3. charge — electricity
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. spell — letters
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. scale — in music
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spell — magic
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. charge — in control
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bear — the animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. charge — a price
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bear — the animal
  24. patient — a sick person

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