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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. key — for a lock
  4. race — humankind
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. race — the arms race
  7. season — of the year
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. key — in music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. race — a contest
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. season — in sport
  18. spring — the season
  19. key — the most important part
  20. fine — all right
  21. dip — to sink
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. fine — high quality

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