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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. game — a match
  3. wake — a trail
  4. track — a path
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. track — a song
  10. mate — to breed
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. mate — a friend
  14. track — to keep track
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. charge — in control
  18. board — a committee
  19. branch — a division
  20. charge — a price
  21. mate — a partner
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. game — wild animals

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