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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cap — of ice
  8. spring — of water
  9. present — there
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cold — an illness
  15. present — the time now
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cap — a hat
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. present — a gift

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