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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. charge — electricity
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. pit — a hole
  17. fall — to drop
  18. charge — a price
  19. pitch — completely
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pit — in a race
  22. season — of the year
  23. fall — the season
  24. charge — in control

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