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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. net — in sport
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. ball — a dance
  5. season — in sport
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cell — a phone
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. net — after costs
  13. lean — to bend
  14. season — of the year
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lean — thin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. charge — in control
  22. net — for catching
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cell — in biology

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