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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. charge — electricity
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. scale — size or range
  6. firm — steady
  7. scale — in music
  8. season — in sport
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. firm — decided
  11. current — happening now
  12. firm — a company
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. charge — in control
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. capital — money
  20. charge — a price
  21. capital — a city
  22. ground — crushed
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. perch — the fish

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