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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. fine — all right
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. charge — a price
  8. branch — a division
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fine — high quality
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. stock — goods
  15. ground — a position
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. charge — electricity
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. stock — shares
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. season — in sport

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