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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. season — of the year
  3. charge — in control
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. season — in sport
  8. land — to come down
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. march — the month
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. land — ground
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. march — the month
  18. wake — a trail
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — electricity
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. march — music
  24. land — a country

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