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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wind — moving air
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — a coil
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. spring — of water
  8. suit — clothes
  9. pop — to visit
  10. game — wild animals
  11. kick — in football
  12. season — of the year
  13. pop — music
  14. press — to push
  15. suit — in cards
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. season — in sport
  20. game — a match
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pop — soda
  24. suit — to fit

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