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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lean — thin
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pop — music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. season — of the year
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mine — for digging

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