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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. kid — child
  3. lean — thin
  4. season — in sport
  5. cue — a signal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. can — to be able to
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. can — a tin
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rest — what's left
  20. can — a tin
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rest — a break

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