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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. charge — a price
  4. bank — of a river
  5. season — in sport
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. track — to keep track
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bank — for money
  12. track — a path
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. charge — electricity
  16. cap — a hat
  17. track — a song
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cap — of ice
  21. season — of the year
  22. cap — a lid
  23. charge — in control
  24. season — to add flavour

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