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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 120 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. season — in sport
  3. suit — to fit
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mine — for digging
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spell — letters
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. degree — an amount
  22. spell — magic
  23. suit — clothes
  24. degree — from a university

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