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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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. bass — the instrument
  4. pitch — completely
  5. charge — a price
  6. season — in sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. season — of the year
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. charge — in control
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bass — the fish
  15. sharp — clever
  16. rash — hasty
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bass — low music
  24. sharp — with an edge

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