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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. season — in sport
  7. ball — a great time
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. season — of the year
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pass — a permit
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rush — hurry
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rush — to hurry

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