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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pop — music
  3. can — a tin
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. pop — to visit
  7. season — in sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. suit — clothes
  10. can — to be able to
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. land — ground
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. can — a tin
  19. fork — in a road
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. season — of the year
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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