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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. season — of the year
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lie — to recline
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. face — to confront
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wind — moving air
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. face — to point toward
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wind — moving air
  16. face — part of the head
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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