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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fine — all right
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. cold — not warm
  8. lean — thin
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lean — to bend
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. hand — help
  18. fall — the season
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rest — a break
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mate — a partner

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