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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. charge — in control
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. season — in sport
  5. face — to point toward
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. face — to confront
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. sharp — clever
  15. prune — to trim
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. charge — a price
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bat — the animal
  20. dip — to sink
  21. face — part of the head
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. season — of the year
  24. prune — to trim

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