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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stock — goods
  4. spring — the season
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. staff — a stick
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. suit — in cards
  12. season — in sport
  13. stock — shares
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. staff — employees
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. spring — of water
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. staff — employees
  23. hand — in cards
  24. season — of the year

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