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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. season — in sport
  3. rash — a series
  4. wind — moving air
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rash — hasty
  10. net — for catching
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cue — for pool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cue — a hint
  18. net — after costs
  19. season — of the year
  20. cold — an illness
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. net — in sport
  24. cue — a signal

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