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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — in a road
  4. track — a path
  5. ball — a great time
  6. track — a song
  7. bound — obliged
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bound — certain
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. spring — the season
  15. ball — a dance
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. dip — to sink
  19. season — in sport
  20. bound — tied together
  21. spring — a coil
  22. press — newspapers
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

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