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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. board — a committee
  3. charge — electricity
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. charge — in control
  10. spell — magic
  11. mate — to breed
  12. band — a ring
  13. season — of the year
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. charge — a price
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. season — in sport
  22. band — a music group
  23. board — to get on
  24. mate — a partner

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