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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cue — for pool
  5. staff — a stick
  6. season — of the year
  7. present — the time now
  8. staff — employees
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cell — in biology
  11. season — in sport
  12. cue — a signal
  13. spring — the season
  14. cell — a phone
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pop — music
  19. staff — employees
  20. present — a gift
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pop — soda
  24. present — there

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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