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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 124 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. charge — a price
  5. ball — a dance
  6. spell — a short time
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. net — for catching
  11. spell — letters
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bound — certain
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. net — in sport
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bound — tied together
  18. charge — in control
  19. deal — to handle
  20. charge — electricity
  21. spell — magic
  22. bound — obliged
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. net — after costs

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