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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. track — a path
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. spring — the season
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — a song
  13. craft — boats
  14. dip — to sink
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. track — to keep track
  18. season — in sport
  19. ball — a great time
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. season — of the year
  22. spring — a coil
  23. craft — a skill
  24. land — ground

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