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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. track — to keep track
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. spell — letters
  7. fine — all right
  8. track — a song
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. spell — magic
  11. face — to confront
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. swing — in golf
  14. track — a path
  15. swing — to play on
  16. face — to point toward
  17. stem — to come from
  18. swing — music
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. face — part of the head
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. season — in sport

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