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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: charge · pound · straw · foot · game · season · spell · cold

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. cold — not warm
  5. season — of the year
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pound — a weight
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. charge — electricity
  14. foot — a measure
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. charge — in control
  18. spell — magic
  19. cold — an illness
  20. spell — letters
  21. game — wild animals
  22. charge — a price
  23. game — a match
  24. foot — the bottom

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