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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 124 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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. can — to be able to
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. can — a tin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cell — in biology
  13. can — a tin
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cell — a phone
  17. lean — to bend
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fine — all right
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. fine — high quality
  23. racket — for tennis
  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