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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 120 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cap — a hat
  4. can — a tin
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. cap — a lid
  8. field — for sport
  9. season — in sport
  10. ball — a great time
  11. charge — a price
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. field — farmland
  14. charge — in control
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. field — a subject
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. season — of the year
  22. cap — of ice
  23. march — the month
  24. pass — a permit

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