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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lie — to recline
  5. board — to get on
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mine — for digging
  15. season — of the year
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wind — moving air
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. board — a committee
  22. snap — to click
  23. court — of law
  24. date — on the calendar

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