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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cap — a lid
  3. spell — letters
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. net — for catching
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cap — of ice
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bass — low music
  12. spell — magic
  13. rock — a stone
  14. spring — of water
  15. season — of the year
  16. spring — a coil
  17. rock — music
  18. season — in sport
  19. cap — a hat
  20. net — after costs
  21. spring — the season
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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