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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. court — for sport
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. charge — in control
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. lean — thin
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mine — for digging
  10. charge — a price
  11. court — of a king
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. kick — in football
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. court — of law
  22. charge — electricity
  23. land — ground
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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