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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. charge — in control
  3. season — of the year
  4. cell — a phone
  5. present — the time now
  6. spring — the season
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spring — of water
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. season — in sport
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cell — in biology
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rash — hasty

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