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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stand — to bear
  7. season — of the year
  8. kick — in football
  9. sharp — clever
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. track — a path
  12. bound — tied together
  13. season — in sport
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bound — certain
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. leaves — to go away

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