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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: mark · season · net · pitcher · wave · cold · charge · rush

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. season — of the year
  4. charge — a price
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. charge — in control
  7. cold — not warm
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. mark — a trace
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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