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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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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. suit — clothes
  4. field — farmland
  5. board — a committee
  6. suit — to fit
  7. stand — to bear
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. spring — of water
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. spring — the season
  13. field — for sport
  14. charge — electricity
  15. suit — in cards
  16. mate — a partner
  17. board — to get on
  18. spring — a coil
  19. field — a subject
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. charge — in control
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. charge — a price

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