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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 116 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. charge — a price
  3. season — of the year
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cue — a signal
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cue — a hint
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. can — a tin
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. land — a country
  15. can — to be able to
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. charge — electricity
  18. can — a tin
  19. band — a music group
  20. pitch — completely
  21. band — a ring
  22. charge — in control
  23. cue — for pool
  24. season — in sport

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