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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. charge — electricity
  2. swing — to play on
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mate — a friend
  6. saw — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. swing — music
  10. wake — a trail
  11. march — the month
  12. mate — a partner
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. charge — a price
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. march — music
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. march — the month
  20. charge — in control
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. swing — in golf
  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