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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: suit · charge · mate · game · rash · fork · spring · fall

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. charge — electricity
  8. suit — to fit
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — in control
  11. mate — a friend
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mate — to breed
  14. suit — clothes
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. spring — the season
  18. mate — a partner
  19. spring — of water
  20. fall — to drop
  21. suit — in cards
  22. rash — a series
  23. fork — in a road
  24. game — a match

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