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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. season — in sport
  4. last — finally
  5. chip — for betting
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. face — to point toward
  9. last — to go on
  10. spring — a coil
  11. season — of the year
  12. last — final
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. spring — of water
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. face — part of the head
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. branch — a division
  23. face — to confront
  24. season — to add flavour

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