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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. season — of the year
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. board — to get on
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fine — high quality
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pop — soda
  10. fine — all right
  11. pop — to visit
  12. board — a committee
  13. scale — size or range
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. scale — in music
  17. lean — to bend
  18. season — in sport
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. last — to go on
  21. cap — a lid
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pop — music
  24. fine — a penalty

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