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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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 — to add flavour
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mate — a partner
  6. season — of the year
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. mark — a trace
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. mate — a friend
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mate — to breed
  16. last — finally
  17. wind — moving air
  18. season — in sport
  19. last — to go on
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. saw — the tool
  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