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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. deal — to handle
  3. kid — child
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. hand — help
  6. lean — thin
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bound — certain
  12. lean — to bend
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. hand — in cards
  15. season — in sport
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fork — in a road
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. hand — part of the body

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