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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bear — the animal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. present — there
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bound — certain
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bear — the animal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. season — in sport
  18. present — a gift
  19. cold — an illness
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. present — the time now
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bound — tied together

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