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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 120 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fall — the season
  8. season — in sport
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. kid — child
  11. ball — a great time
  12. charge — a price
  13. season — of the year
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mine — for digging
  16. ball — a dance
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pass — a permit
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. fall — to drop
  21. charge — in control
  22. fall — to drop
  23. charge — electricity
  24. pass — to spend time

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