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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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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. chest — a box
  4. charge — a price
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. season — of the year
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. land — to come down
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. charge — in control
  18. chest — of your body
  19. sharp — clever
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pass — a permit
  22. land — a country
  23. charge — electricity
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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