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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. charge — a price
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. charge — electricity
  11. court — of law
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. shower — rain
  14. court — for sport
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. charge — in control
  20. season — in sport
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bulb — for light

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