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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. season — in sport
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. charge — in control
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. mate — to breed
  13. season — of the year
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mine — for digging
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. mate — a friend
  20. degree — from a university
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. mine — belonging to me

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