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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. clip — for paper
  11. ground — a position
  12. rock — a stone
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. clip — a video
  15. ground — crushed
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. stand — to bear
  18. ground — the earth
  19. deal — to handle
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. racket — a loud noise

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