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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. charge — electricity
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. charge — in control
  8. bank — for money
  9. swing — music
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. charge — a price
  13. fall — to drop
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. object — a thing
  16. bank — for money
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fall — to drop
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bank — of a river
  21. object — an aim
  22. fall — the season
  23. season — in sport
  24. object — to protest

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