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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. file — a tool
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. field — a subject
  7. season — of the year
  8. file — a document
  9. last — finally
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lean — thin
  12. bulb — for light
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wound — an injury
  16. field — farmland
  17. last — final
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. field — for sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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