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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wind — moving air
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. charge — in control
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. vault — a safe
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wake — a trail
  23. game — a match
  24. nail — for a hammer

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