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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. season — of the year
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. season — in sport
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pop — music
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bear — the animal
  15. charge — a price
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. march — the month
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pop — soda
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. rest — a break
  22. pop — to visit
  23. dip — to sink
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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