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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. spring — of water
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cold — an illness
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. spring — the season

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