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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. club — for golf
  4. march — the month
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. march — music
  7. bass — low music
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. season — in sport
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. club — a group
  16. bass — the fish
  17. lean — thin
  18. club — for dancing
  19. march — the month
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. season — of the year
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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