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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 120 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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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: bay · cell · march · bore · wave · file · mate · charge

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. charge — in control
  5. march — the month
  6. mate — to breed
  7. march — the month
  8. file — a document
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bore — to drill
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cell — a phone
  16. file — a tool
  17. charge — a price
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. march — music
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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