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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. charge — in control
  4. swing — music
  5. spell — magic
  6. swing — in golf
  7. season — in sport
  8. snap — to click
  9. charge — electricity
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cue — a signal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cue — a hint
  18. swing — to play on
  19. spell — letters
  20. cue — for pool
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. charge — a price
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. season — of the year

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