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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 120 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. spring — the season
  5. spell — magic
  6. pop — to visit
  7. craft — boats
  8. pop — music
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. spell — a short time
  12. net — in sport
  13. charge — in control
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. craft — a skill
  17. net — for catching
  18. spring — of water
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. charge — a price
  21. net — after costs
  22. spell — letters
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pop — soda

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