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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. spring — the season
  3. season — in sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mate — a partner
  6. spring — of water
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. face — to point toward
  11. dip — to sink
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mate — a friend
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rash — a series
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. face — to confront
  21. season — of the year
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rash — hasty
  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