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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · season · wound · bowl · staff · cold · kick · leaves

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wound — an injury
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cold — an illness
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. kick — in football
  10. season — in sport
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. season — of the year
  15. staff — employees
  16. fine — all right
  17. staff — employees
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bowl — a dish

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