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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. spring — of water
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. pit — in a race
  6. plane — a tool
  7. mark — a trace
  8. net — after costs
  9. tube — a container
  10. can — a tin
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. tube — the underground
  13. season — of the year
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. spring — a coil
  16. net — for catching
  17. can — to be able to
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. spring — the season
  22. net — in sport
  23. mark — a grade
  24. can — a tin

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