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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pit — a hole
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spell — magic
  5. season — in sport
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rest — a break
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pit — in a race
  11. spell — letters
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fine — high quality
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. band — a ring
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. spell — a short time
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. band — a music group

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