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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: charge · fine · land · row · ball · clip · fan · season

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. charge — in control
  3. land — to come down
  4. clip — a video
  5. season — of the year
  6. clip — for paper
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. land — ground
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. season — in sport
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. fine — all right
  23. ball — a dance
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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