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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. charge — in control
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cold — not warm
  14. charge — a price
  15. net — in sport
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — a hat
  19. net — for catching
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. track — a path
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. deal — to handle

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