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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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. land — ground
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. drill — the tool
  8. season — of the year
  9. land — to come down
  10. lean — to bend
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bass — the fish
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bass — low music
  16. drill — army training
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. season — in sport
  20. mark — a grade
  21. land — a country
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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