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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cold — not warm
  7. charge — a price
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. charge — in control
  10. row — a line
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. charge — electricity
  13. hand — in cards
  14. suit — to fit
  15. hand — help
  16. suit — clothes
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cold — an illness
  19. suit — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cold — the Cold War

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