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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cap — a hat
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. track — a song
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cap — of ice
  14. kid — child
  15. face — to confront
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stock — shares
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stock — goods
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. season — in sport
  24. track — a path

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