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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spring — a coil
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. clip — a video
  9. field — for sport
  10. chip — to eat
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rest — a break
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. fine — high quality
  16. field — a subject
  17. clip — for paper
  18. season — in sport
  19. chip — for betting
  20. clip — to cut
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. field — farmland
  24. season — to add flavour

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