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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cap — of ice
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. season — of the year
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. firm — steady
  11. cap — a lid
  12. row — a line
  13. chair — a leader
  14. firm — decided
  15. season — in sport
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bound — tied together
  23. firm — a company
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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