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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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Word bank
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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. club — for golf
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mate — a partner
  5. club — a group
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. season — of the year
  8. fine — all right
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mate — to breed
  11. club — for dancing
  12. charge — a price
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mate — a friend
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. season — in sport
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. charge — in control
  24. fall — the season

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