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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. season — in sport
  4. chest — a box
  5. lean — thin
  6. season — of the year
  7. mug — to rob
  8. track — a song
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. lean — to bend
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mug — a face
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. march — the month
  15. hand — help
  16. chest — of your body
  17. march — the month
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. march — music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. track — a path
  23. deal — to handle
  24. hand — in cards

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