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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. last — to go on
  3. charge — in control
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. season — in sport
  7. charge — electricity
  8. kick — in football
  9. club — for golf
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. club — for dancing
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. club — a group
  17. charge — a price
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. fine — high quality
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. ground — crushed

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