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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. season — in sport
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bank — for money
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bank — of a river
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. face — to point toward
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. content — the amount
  13. mine — for digging
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. charge — electricity
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bank — for money
  19. charge — a price
  20. face — to confront
  21. season — of the year
  22. charge — in control
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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