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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: season · fall · bulb · bowl · key · charge · bat · sharp

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. key — in music
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. charge — a price
  7. fall — the season
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fall — to drop
  17. charge — electricity
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. bulb — for light
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. charge — in control
  24. season — in sport

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