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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. charge — in control
  6. land — ground
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. land — to come down
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. land — a country
  17. file — a document
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bark — to shout
  24. charge — a price

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