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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mate — to breed
  4. last — finally
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. object — an aim
  7. stock — goods
  8. object — to protest
  9. last — to go on
  10. spell — letters
  11. wound — an injury
  12. object — a thing
  13. can — a tin
  14. stock — shares
  15. can — a tin
  16. mate — a friend
  17. season — in sport
  18. spell — magic
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. spell — a short time
  23. can — to be able to
  24. last — final

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