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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mark — a trace
  4. charge — in control
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. swing — music
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. swing — to play on
  10. charge — a price
  11. fine — high quality
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. swing — in golf
  15. mark — a grade
  16. charge — electricity
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — with a leg

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