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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. spell — letters
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. charge — electricity
  5. spell — magic
  6. present — the time now
  7. squash — to crush
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rock — a stone
  10. charge — a price
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. swing — music
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rock — music
  17. charge — in control
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. spell — a short time
  23. present — a gift
  24. swing — in golf

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