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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lean — to bend
  3. face — to point toward
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cap — of ice
  7. season — in sport
  8. face — to confront
  9. wind — moving air
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cap — a hat
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. net — for catching
  15. lean — thin
  16. face — part of the head
  17. ground — the earth
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. net — in sport
  20. ground — a position
  21. cap — a lid
  22. ground — crushed
  23. net — after costs
  24. lean — to rest against

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