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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. net — in sport
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. lean — to bend
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rush — hurry
  11. drill — army training
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mine — for digging
  14. net — after costs
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lean — thin
  17. season — in sport
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. season — of the year
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. net — for catching
  24. drill — a practice

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