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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 124 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. present — there
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spring — of water
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — the time now
  21. march — the month
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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