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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rash — hasty
  3. spell — magic
  4. craft — a skill
  5. season — in sport
  6. spring — the season
  7. season — of the year
  8. pitch — completely
  9. last — finally
  10. craft — boats
  11. last — to go on
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. spring — a coil
  16. last — final
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. spell — letters
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rash — a series
  24. spell — a short time

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