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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. rock — music
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. season — of the year
  7. spring — of water
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wind — moving air
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. spring — the season
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bat — the animal
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. season — in sport
  21. rock — a stone
  22. charge — in control
  23. spring — a coil
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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