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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. face — part of the head
  4. lean — thin
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. band — a ring
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mark — a trace
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. face — to point toward
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. season — of the year
  13. mark — a grade
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. club — a group
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. face — to confront
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. lean — to bend
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. club — for golf
  24. band — a music group

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