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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mug — a face
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. lie — to recline
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spell — letters
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. season — in sport
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mug — to rob
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. spell — magic
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mug — a cup
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lie — an untruth

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