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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mate — to breed
  3. lie — to recline
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mate — a friend
  6. season — of the year
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. band — a ring
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. swing — music
  12. season — in sport
  13. swing — in golf
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mate — a partner
  16. band — a music group
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. swing — to play on

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