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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: clip · firm · season · charge · mark · mate · band · fine

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mark — a grade
  3. charge — a price
  4. firm — steady
  5. fine — all right
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. season — of the year
  10. charge — electricity
  11. mate — a partner
  12. season — in sport
  13. band — a ring
  14. fine — high quality
  15. charge — in control
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mate — a friend
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. mate — to breed
  24. season — to add flavour

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