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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. season — in sport
  5. lie — to recline
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fall — the season
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. charge — in control
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cell — in biology
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. fall — to drop

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