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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
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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: last · stem · mine · mate · charge · game · bass · bowl

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mate — to breed
  3. last — final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stem — to come from
  11. last — to go on
  12. charge — in control
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. last — finally
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bass — low music
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. charge — a price
  24. stem — of a plant

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