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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. season — in sport
  3. charge — electricity
  4. land — a country
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. season — of the year
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. charge — in control
  13. land — to come down
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. charge — a price
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. land — ground
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. game — a match
  21. spell — magic
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. spell — letters
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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