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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — in control
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cue — a hint
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cue — for pool
  12. hand — help
  13. charge — a price
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. season — in sport
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wax — to grow
  18. kick — in football
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rock — music
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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