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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mark — a grade
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. spring — of water
  10. season — in sport
  11. file — a tool
  12. pass — a permit
  13. track — to keep track
  14. file — a line of people
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. squash — the sport
  18. spring — the season
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. file — a document
  21. track — a path
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. track — a song

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