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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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Word bank
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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: row · staff · mate · charge · mark · hand · date · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mark — a trace
  3. row — a line
  4. staff — employees
  5. charge — a price
  6. mate — a partner
  7. hand — help
  8. date — the fruit
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mark — a grade
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. row — to paddle
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. staff — employees
  20. charge — in control
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. staff — a stick
  24. row — a quarrel

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