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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. face — to point toward
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. land — to come down
  7. charge — a price
  8. hand — in cards
  9. land — a country
  10. key — the most important part
  11. charge — in control
  12. face — part of the head
  13. key — for a lock
  14. land — ground
  15. face — to confront
  16. charge — electricity
  17. hand — help
  18. key — in music

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