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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. charge — in control
  4. wind — moving air
  5. season — in sport
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. season — of the year
  9. wind — moving air
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. spring — of water
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. spring — the season
  16. mark — a grade
  17. charge — a price
  18. spring — a coil

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