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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — final
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. net — in sport
  10. last — finally
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. charge — in control
  13. net — after costs
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. season — of the year
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. last — to go on
  22. clip — a video
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. net — for catching

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