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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. season — of the year
  3. clip — a video
  4. race — the arms race
  5. drill — army training
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. drill — a practice
  9. clip — to cut
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. charge — electricity
  16. spring — of water
  17. rush — hurry
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. race — a contest
  21. charge — a price
  22. club — for dancing
  23. race — humankind
  24. clip — for paper

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