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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. object — an aim
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. season — in sport
  7. shower — to wash
  8. object — a thing
  9. march — music
  10. cap — a lid
  11. march — the month
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. season — of the year
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wake — a trail
  18. march — the month
  19. object — to protest
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. shower — rain
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cap — a hat

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