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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. charge — in control
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. shower — rain
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. charge — electricity
  19. pass — a permit
  20. game — a match
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. charge — a price
  24. content — videos and posts

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