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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. season — in sport
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — a price
  9. cell — a phone
  10. net — after costs
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. net — in sport
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. net — for catching
  24. cell — in biology

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