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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. field — a subject
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. charge — in control
  7. wind — moving air
  8. court — for sport
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mark — a trace
  13. season — in sport
  14. court — of law
  15. charge — a price
  16. field — farmland
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. court — of a king
  20. field — for sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — a grade
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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