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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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 — in sport
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. row — to paddle
  4. net — after costs
  5. row — a line
  6. march — the month
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fine — all right
  9. net — in sport
  10. kick — in football
  11. cold — an illness
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. charge — electricity
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fine — high quality
  17. charge — in control
  18. net — for catching
  19. march — music
  20. charge — a price
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. march — the month
  24. cold — the Cold War

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