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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. charge — electricity
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mate — a partner
  6. charge — a price
  7. court — of a king
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mate — to breed
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chest — a box
  12. charge — in control
  13. lie — to recline
  14. court — of law
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. season — in sport
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mate — a friend
  20. court — for sport
  21. chest — of your body
  22. season — of the year
  23. can — to be able to
  24. season — to add flavour

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