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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. land — ground
  3. season — of the year
  4. mine — for digging
  5. game — a match
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. rush — hurry
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pound — a weight
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. season — in sport
  13. game — wild animals
  14. toast — bread
  15. land — a country
  16. charge — a price
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. land — to come down
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. charge — electricity
  24. pound — to hit hard

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