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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. season — of the year
  3. clip — for paper
  4. chip — to eat
  5. season — in sport
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. charge — in control
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rash — a series
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. chip — for betting
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. clip — a video
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. charge — electricity
  24. leaves — lets stay

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