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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. file — a document
  6. wound — an injury
  7. season — of the year
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. mate — a friend
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wound — an injury
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. shower — rain
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cabinet — ministers

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