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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pass — a permit
  6. spring — the season
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wound — an injury
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pitch — completely

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