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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. season — of the year
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. season — in sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. can — a tin
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. can — a tin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pop — soda
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. march — the month
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wound — an injury
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. can — to be able to
  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