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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. drill — army training
  4. game — a match
  5. ground — the earth
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. drill — the tool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ground — a position
  14. spring — the season
  15. drill — a practice
  16. spring — of water
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fine — high quality
  24. leaves — to go away

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