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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. charge — a price
  4. bound — certain
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. fine — all right
  10. season — of the year
  11. staff — a stick
  12. charge — electricity
  13. staff — employees
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. staff — employees
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bound — tied together
  19. charge — in control
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. fine — high quality
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. season — in sport

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