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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. season — in sport
  3. fork — in a road
  4. clip — a video
  5. pop — to visit
  6. season — of the year
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. last — finally
  12. pop — soda
  13. shower — rain
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. clip — to cut
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pop — music
  20. last — to go on
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. last — final
  24. bear — the animal

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