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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 124 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. land — ground
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. charge — a price
  8. land — to come down
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cold — an illness
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. charge — in control
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. land — a country
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. season — of the year
  22. charge — electricity
  23. cold — not warm
  24. ruler — for measuring

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