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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cold — not warm
  3. wind — moving air
  4. suit — clothes
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. net — after costs
  7. suit — in cards
  8. wind — moving air
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. spell — a short time
  12. season — in sport
  13. last — to go on
  14. spell — letters
  15. net — for catching
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. net — in sport
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cold — an illness
  20. spell — magic
  21. season — of the year
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. lie — to recline

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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