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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. charge — a price
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. charge — electricity
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pass — a permit
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pop — to visit
  16. charge — in control
  17. game — a match
  18. spring — of water
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pop — music
  21. chip — to eat
  22. pop — soda
  23. mate — to breed
  24. spring — 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