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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. charge — a price
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bat — the animal
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bank — for money
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. season — in sport
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bank — for money
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — in control
  24. mouse — for a computer

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