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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. season — of the year
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. charge — electricity
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. face — part of the head
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. charge — a price
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. craft — boats
  16. face — to point toward
  17. season — in sport
  18. face — to confront
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. craft — a skill
  23. charge — in control
  24. pitch — a sports field

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