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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 124 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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bound — tied together
  3. season — in sport
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wind — moving air
  6. craft — boats
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bound — certain
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. fan — a supporter

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