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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 124 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. spell — magic
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. lean — to bend
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. season — of the year
  11. march — music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. march — the month
  14. spell — a short time
  15. march — the month
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. lean — thin
  18. spell — letters
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. deal — to handle
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mate — to breed
  24. deal — an agreement

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