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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.

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: tear · season · pitcher · ground · dip · rash · object · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. object — an aim
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tear — to rip
  5. charge — a price
  6. dip — to sink
  7. charge — in control
  8. season — in sport
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. season — of the year
  16. object — to protest
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. object — a thing
  19. ground — a position
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rash — a series
  23. tear — from crying
  24. season — to add flavour

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