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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. present — there
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. stock — shares
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — the season
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. vault — a safe
  13. scale — size or range
  14. sharp — clever
  15. present — a gift
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. scale — in music
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a skill
  20. stock — goods
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spring — a coil

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