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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. charge — in control
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rash — a series
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spell — magic
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fall — the season
  15. ball — a great time
  16. charge — a price
  17. season — of the year
  18. spell — letters
  19. rush — hurry
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. season — to add flavour

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