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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 124 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fine — all right
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. march — the month
  6. club — for golf
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. march — the month
  11. season — in sport
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. march — music
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. club — a group
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wound — an injury

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