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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ball — a dance
  3. spring — a coil
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spring — of water
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pit — a hole
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. degree — temperature
  20. land — ground
  21. degree — from a university
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ball — a round shape

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