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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. charge — in control
  3. land — a country
  4. season — of the year
  5. land — to come down
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. game — a match
  8. band — a music group
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. charge — a price
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. season — in sport
  16. squash — the sport
  17. charge — electricity
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. land — ground
  21. fine — all right
  22. band — a ring
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. game — a kind of play

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