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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: suit · charge · clip · cold · stick · bound · wake · season

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. suit — in cards
  2. suit — to fit
  3. charge — a price
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bound — certain
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. clip — a video
  12. suit — clothes
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. season — of the year
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bound — tied together
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cold — an illness
  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