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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. season — in sport
  4. ball — a dance
  5. toast — bread
  6. net — for catching
  7. mark — a trace
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. ground — a position
  13. bass — low music
  14. spring — of water
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bass — the fish
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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