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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. charge — in control
  3. rash — a series
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — of the year
  7. deal — to handle
  8. land — ground
  9. charge — a price
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. season — in sport
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lean — to bend
  15. spell — letters
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. spell — magic
  22. rash — hasty
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. lean — thin

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