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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fine — high quality
  4. chip — for betting
  5. season — in sport
  6. bank — of a river
  7. clip — for paper
  8. key — in music
  9. fine — all right
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. key — for a lock
  15. mate — a friend
  16. key — the most important part
  17. clip — to cut
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. clip — a video
  21. spring — the season
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mate — to breed

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