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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 124 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. clip — for paper
  3. roll — a list
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. clip — a video
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. charge — a price
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chip — to eat
  13. season — in sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. clip — to cut
  16. spell — magic
  17. charge — electricity
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. rest — a break
  20. perch — the fish
  21. chip — for betting
  22. spell — a short time
  23. season — of the year
  24. rest — what's left

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