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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. spring — the season
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. season — of the year
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. season — in sport
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tube — a container
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bat — the animal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rush — hurry
  17. spring — of water
  18. rock — music
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tube — the underground
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rock — a stone

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