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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pop — music
  5. lean — to bend
  6. season — of the year
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pop — soda
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rest — a break
  16. season — in sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. lean — thin
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. racket — for tennis

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