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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. spring — the season
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spring — a coil
  6. ball — a great time
  7. last — final
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. net — in sport
  15. stand — to bear
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spring — of water
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pop — to visit
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. net — for catching
  24. ball — a dance

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