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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. lean — to bend
  3. land — ground
  4. cap — a lid
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. land — a country
  13. chair — a leader
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. land — to come down
  16. cap — a hat
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. kid — child
  21. lean — thin
  22. season — in sport
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. season — to add flavour

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