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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fine — all right
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. season — of the year
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. mate — to breed
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. season — in sport
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chair — a leader
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mate — a friend

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