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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pitch — completely
  5. season — of the year
  6. object — an aim
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fine — all right
  9. object — to protest
  10. charge — a price
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mark — a trace
  14. season — in sport
  15. charge — in control
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. object — a thing
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bowl — a football final

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