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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. suit — clothes
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mark — a grade
  6. spring — of water
  7. suit — to fit
  8. tube — a container
  9. season — in sport
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mark — a trace
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. last — final
  14. perch — the fish
  15. suit — in cards
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. season — of the year
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. perch — for a bird

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