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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: charge · trunk · mate · cap · fall · track · game · leaves

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. fall — the season
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mate — to breed
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. game — a match
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. charge — electricity
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mate — a friend
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. track — a song
  21. charge — a price
  22. cap — a hat
  23. track — a path
  24. charge — in control

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