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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rock — a stone
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. kid — child
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rock — music
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spell — a short time
  13. season — in sport
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. spell — magic
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wake — a trail
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. spell — letters
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. kid — to tease

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