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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. spring — the season
  4. date — the fruit
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — an aim
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cue — a signal
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. object — to protest
  12. cue — a hint
  13. season — in sport
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. fine — high quality
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. track — a song
  19. season — of the year
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. deal — to handle
  23. track — a path
  24. spring — of water

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