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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 120 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: wound · deal · ball · season · mine · charge · mug · game

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. season — of the year
  3. charge — a price
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mug — a face
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. game — a match
  12. wound — an injury
  13. season — in sport
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. mug — to rob
  16. ball — a dance
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — to handle
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wound — an injury
  21. charge — electricity
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mug — a cup
  24. charge — in control

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