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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. ground — a position
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. current — of water
  6. land — to come down
  7. current — electric
  8. land — ground
  9. charge — in control
  10. club — a group
  11. root — of a word
  12. current — happening now
  13. squash — the sport
  14. ground — the earth
  15. club — for dancing
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. root — the cause
  18. squash — to crush
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. club — for golf
  21. land — a country
  22. charge — a price
  23. root — of a plant
  24. ground — crushed

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