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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mark — a trace
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. net — in sport
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. mate — to breed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. lean — to bend
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. mark — a grade
  19. ground — a position
  20. game — a match
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. game — wild animals
  23. season — in sport
  24. lean — thin

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