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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cap — of ice
  3. season — of the year
  4. spring — a coil
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wake — a trail
  7. ground — the earth
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cap — a lid
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — in sport
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. spring — of water
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. ground — a position
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ground — crushed
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. spring — the season
  23. cap — a hat
  24. track — a path

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