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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mine — for digging
  4. season — of the year
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. charge — in control
  16. season — in sport
  17. firm — decided
  18. spring — of water
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — a company
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — a price
  23. spring — the season
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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