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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. land — to come down
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. season — of the year
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. fine — high quality
  10. lean — thin
  11. chair — a leader
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fine — all right
  14. land — a country
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. land — ground
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. row — to paddle
  24. craft — a handicraft

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