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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. charge — a price
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. charge — electricity
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pitch — completely
  7. season — in sport
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. charge — in control
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. stand — to bear
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. clip — a video
  18. season — of the year
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. key — the most important part
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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