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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. spell — magic
  3. fall — to drop
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. last — finally
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fall — to drop
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — a price
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mug — a cup
  14. vault — a safe
  15. charge — electricity
  16. last — to go on
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. last — final
  19. spell — letters
  20. land — to come down
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. fall — the season
  23. land — ground
  24. mug — a face

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