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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. stand — to bear
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. charge — a price
  9. swing — to play on
  10. ground — crushed
  11. date — the fruit
  12. charge — in control
  13. ground — the earth
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. ground — a position
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. swing — in golf
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. swing — music
  24. charge — electricity

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