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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. season — of the year
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. season — in sport
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. land — to come down
  9. staff — employees
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. land — a country
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. staff — a stick
  19. saw — the tool
  20. staff — employees
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. land — ground
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. saw — the tool

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