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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rest — what's left
  6. season — of the year
  7. charge — electricity
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. season — in sport
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. spell — magic
  15. rest — a break
  16. spell — letters
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. charge — a price
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. cold — not warm
  22. march — the month
  23. charge — in control
  24. season — to add flavour

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