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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. season — in sport
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mate — to breed
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bass — the fish
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bound — certain
  9. row — to paddle
  10. lean — to bend
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mate — a friend
  14. season — of the year
  15. shower — rain
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. mate — a partner
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. content — the amount
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bound — obliged
  24. lean — thin

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