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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cue — for pool
  8. charge — a price
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cell — in biology
  12. hand — help
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mate — a partner
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cell — a phone
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — in control
  22. cue — a hint
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cell — in a prison

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