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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. sharp — clever
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cap — a lid
  8. season — of the year
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hand — help
  20. cap — a hat
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rule — government
  24. cap — of ice

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