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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. net — after costs
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. net — for catching
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wound — an injury
  14. season — in sport
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. cue — for pool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — to come down
  20. net — in sport
  21. cue — a hint
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fan — a supporter

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