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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. swing — to play on
  7. snap — to click
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fall — to drop
  10. season — of the year
  11. charge — in control
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. cell — a phone
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cap — a hat
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fall — the season
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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