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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rush — hurry
  9. charge — in control
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bulb — for light
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pitch — completely
  15. snap — to click
  16. bulb — for light
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bulb — of a plant

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