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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · rush · content · cold · kick · leaves · tube · charge

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mate — a friend
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. tube — a container
  9. mate — to breed
  10. charge — electricity
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cold — not warm
  13. charge — a price
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. cold — an illness
  18. charge — in control
  19. kick — in football
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. content — happy
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. leaves — to go away

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