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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. spring — a coil
  3. season — of the year
  4. net — after costs
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. net — in sport
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lie — to recline
  10. dip — to sink
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. season — in sport
  13. spring — the season
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pitch — completely
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. spring — of water
  19. rock — a stone
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. net — for catching
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rock — music
  24. lie — an untruth

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