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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. swing — to play on
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. swing — music
  6. cell — in biology
  7. season — in sport
  8. cell — a phone
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. scale — in music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. row — a line
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. leaves — lets stay

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