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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · charge · shower · ground · pitcher · leaves · season · pass

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ground — a position
  5. shower — to wash
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. ground — crushed
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. ground — the earth
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. season — in sport
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pass — a permit
  20. charge — electricity
  21. shower — rain
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. charge — in control

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