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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pound · spring · charge · chip · mine · race · mug · season

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mine — for digging
  3. race — a contest
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. season — in sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. charge — in control
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. spring — a coil
  11. charge — a price
  12. race — the arms race
  13. spring — the season
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mug — a face
  16. spring — of water
  17. season — of the year
  18. race — humankind
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. chip — to eat
  22. mug — a cup
  23. chip — for betting
  24. charge — electricity

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