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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. present — the time now
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pop — music
  5. ball — a dance
  6. season — in sport
  7. pass — a permit
  8. ball — a great time
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pop — to visit
  17. present — there
  18. pop — soda
  19. capital — a city
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. present — a gift
  23. capital — money
  24. ball — a round shape

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