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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. track — a path
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. tear — to rip
  10. sharp — clever
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. spring — the season
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — of the year
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. season — in sport
  18. spring — of water
  19. ball — a dance
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cap — a hat
  22. track — a song
  23. ball — a great time
  24. tear — from crying

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