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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. ground — a position
  4. cue — a hint
  5. march — the month
  6. squash — to crush
  7. season — of the year
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lie — to recline
  10. ground — the earth
  11. lean — thin
  12. cue — for pool
  13. lean — to bend
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. hand — in cards
  18. march — music
  19. squash — the sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cue — a signal
  24. season — in sport

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