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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: game · charge · present · chip · lie · ball · patient · season

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. present — a gift
  5. charge — a price
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ball — a great time
  8. present — the time now
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. charge — electricity
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. game — wild animals
  14. ball — a dance
  15. season — in sport
  16. chip — to eat
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — a match
  21. charge — in control
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chip — for betting
  24. present — there

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