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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. last — finally
  3. spring — the season
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. spring — of water
  6. ball — a dance
  7. season — of the year
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pit — a hole
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. season — in sport
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. track — a path
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. track — a song
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. ball — a great time
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. track — to keep track
  24. calf — of the leg

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