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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. track — a path
  3. track — a song
  4. fine — high quality
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fine — all right
  7. season — in sport
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bark — to shout
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. deal — to handle
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bass — the fish
  16. track — to keep track
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bass — low music
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. straw — dry grass

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