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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spring — a coil
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rush — hurry
  13. season — of the year
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stock — goods
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. stock — shares
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a hole
  23. season — in sport
  24. kid — child

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