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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. march — the month
  6. fine — high quality
  7. march — music
  8. cold — an illness
  9. shower — to wash
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fine — all right
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mate — a partner
  15. march — the month
  16. shower — rain
  17. cold — not warm
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mate — a friend
  21. season — in sport
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fine — a penalty

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