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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: fan · hide · sharp · season · row · charge · ball · tear

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. charge — a price
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. tear — to rip
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. charge — electricity
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. season — of the year
  17. tear — from crying
  18. charge — in control
  19. row — to paddle
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. sharp — clever
  24. ball — a dance

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