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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. board — to get on
  5. season — of the year
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. squash — to crush
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. season — in sport
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. saw — the tool
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. board — a committee
  24. squash — the 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