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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 120 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. band — a music group
  3. ball — a great time
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. spring — of water
  6. fall — the season
  7. spring — the season
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fall — to drop
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a ring
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — in sport
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cap — of ice
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. fall — to drop
  24. season — of the year

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