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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. mate — a friend
  4. land — a country
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mate — a partner
  7. staff — employees
  8. cap — of ice
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. season — in sport
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. staff — employees
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mate — to breed
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. shower — to wash
  21. land — ground
  22. shower — rain
  23. land — to come down
  24. cap — a hat

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