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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rock — music
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bear — the animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. season — in sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rock — a stone
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. saw — the tool
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rock — to move gently

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