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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. charge — a price
  3. kick — in football
  4. cell — a phone
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. cell — in biology
  8. charge — in control
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. lean — thin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pound — a weight
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. charge — electricity
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. lean — to bend
  24. can — a tin

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