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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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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: racket · season · mug · face · stand · last · fine · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mug — a face
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mug — a cup
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. season — in sport
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stand — to bear
  14. wound — an injury
  15. face — to confront
  16. wound — an injury
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. season — of the year
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. mug — to rob
  24. last — to go on

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