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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · kid · bear · wake · mate · stick · charge · cold

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cold — an illness
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wake — a trail
  8. board — to get on
  9. mate — a friend
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. charge — a price
  14. kid — child
  15. charge — electricity
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. charge — in control
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cold — not warm
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. board — a committee

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