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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. charge — electricity
  3. track — a song
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. hand — in cards
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pass — a permit
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hand — help
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. content — happy
  20. charge — in control
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. content — the amount
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. charge — a price

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