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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. season — of the year
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pitch — completely
  9. season — in sport
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cue — for pool
  18. spring — the season
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bulb — for light
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cue — a signal
  23. spring — of water
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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