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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
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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: snap · season · kid · charge · fan · last · ground · present

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. present — a gift
  4. season — in sport
  5. ground — crushed
  6. kid — to tease
  7. present — the time now
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. last — to go on
  12. ground — a position
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — in control
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. last — final
  17. season — of the year
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. present — there
  20. charge — electricity
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. kid — child
  23. snap — to click
  24. fan — to cool the air

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