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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mark — a trace
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mate — a partner
  7. dip — to sink
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. charge — in control
  15. clip — a video
  16. mate — to breed
  17. clip — for paper
  18. season — of the year
  19. charge — a price
  20. wound — an injury
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. season — in sport
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mate — a friend

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