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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. lean — thin
  3. season — of the year
  4. fine — all right
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. season — in sport
  8. lean — to bend
  9. firm — decided
  10. present — a gift
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. present — there
  24. fine — a penalty

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