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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. object — an aim
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cell — a phone
  5. object — a thing
  6. clip — to cut
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — in control
  9. cell — in biology
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. clip — a video
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. object — to protest
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. charge — a price
  18. clip — for paper
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. season — in sport
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. season — of the year
  24. plane — an aircraft

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