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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rock — music
  3. band — a music group
  4. rock — a stone
  5. fine — all right
  6. season — of the year
  7. lean — thin
  8. season — in sport
  9. band — a ring
  10. lean — to bend
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. row — a line
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. row — to paddle
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. rock — to move gently

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