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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pop — soda
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pop — music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. season — in sport
  11. clip — to cut
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. fine — all right
  16. chest — of your body
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. clip — a video
  19. pop — to visit
  20. chest — of your body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. clip — for paper
  23. chest — a box
  24. calf — a young animal

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