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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rock — a stone
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wind — moving air
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. season — in sport
  9. rock — music
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. season — of the year
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. mark — a trace

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