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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. cap — a hat
  8. net — in sport
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. file — a tool
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rock — music
  14. file — a document
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cap — a lid
  17. net — after costs
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. season — in sport
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. file — a line of people
  23. net — for catching
  24. leaves — to go away

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