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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wound — an injury
  3. suit — clothes
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. land — to come down
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. file — a document
  11. land — ground
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. suit — in cards
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. lean — to bend
  19. last — finally
  20. land — a country
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. lean — thin
  23. wound — an injury
  24. suit — to fit

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