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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: charge · ground · mark · saw · staff · lie · kick · season

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. lie — to recline
  5. ground — a position
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mark — a grade
  10. saw — the tool
  11. staff — a stick
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. charge — in control
  15. ground — the earth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. season — in sport
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. staff — employees
  22. ground — crushed
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mark — a trace

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