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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pit — a hole
  3. net — for catching
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bound — tied together
  6. lean — thin
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bound — obliged
  11. swing — music
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bound — certain
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rock — a stone
  22. swing — to play on
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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