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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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Word bank
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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. clip — a video
  3. suit — in cards
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rush — hurry
  6. fine — all right
  7. bass — low music
  8. date — the fruit
  9. clip — for paper
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. suit — to fit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. suit — clothes
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. spell — magic
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. season — in sport
  24. spell — letters

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