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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 124 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. swing — in golf
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. swing — music
  7. ball — a great time
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mark — a grade
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. spring — a coil
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pitch — completely
  18. spell — letters
  19. mark — a trace
  20. spring — the season
  21. spell — a short time
  22. season — of the year
  23. spell — magic
  24. season — in sport

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