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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. last — finally
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. shower — rain
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. march — the month
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. march — the month
  15. mark — a grade
  16. last — to go on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. last — final
  20. season — in sport
  21. march — music
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. shower — to wash
  24. lash — to lash out

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