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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. season — of the year
  5. rock — music
  6. mug — a cup
  7. season — in sport
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mug — a face
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ball — a great time

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