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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. charge — a price
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — help
  5. perch — the fish
  6. season — of the year
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bass — low music
  10. fall — to drop
  11. charge — electricity
  12. staff — a stick
  13. fall — the season
  14. hand — in cards
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — in sport
  17. deal — to handle
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. charge — in control
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. deal — a big deal

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