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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. game — a match
  4. season — in sport
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. net — for catching
  7. wound — an injury
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. season — of the year
  10. squash — to crush
  11. stand — to bear
  12. net — after costs
  13. charge — a price
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. charge — in control
  16. wound — an injury
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. net — in sport
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. charge — electricity

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