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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 116 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fall — to drop
  4. season — of the year
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fall — to drop
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. season — in sport
  13. lean — thin
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lean — to bend
  16. face — to confront
  17. scale — in music
  18. fall — the season
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mate — to breed
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. face — to point toward

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