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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rash — a series
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. charge — a price
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. net — for catching
  9. charge — in control
  10. rash — hasty
  11. season — in sport
  12. net — in sport
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. net — after costs
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mine — belonging to me

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