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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. charge — in control
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. season — of the year
  13. stock — goods
  14. bound — certain
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. charge — a price
  17. mark — a trace
  18. season — in sport
  19. stock — shares
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mark — a grade
  23. charge — electricity
  24. mark — to pay attention

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