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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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468
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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bass — low music
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mark — a grade
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. season — of the year
  8. face — to confront
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — for digging
  18. face — to point toward
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. kick — in football

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