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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 120 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rest — a break
  3. spring — the season
  4. rest — what's left
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spring — a coil
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rule — government
  10. season — of the year
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. ball — a dance
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rest — what's left
  20. key — for a lock
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rule — a law
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. ball — a round shape

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