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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bulb — for light
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cold — an illness
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. season — in sport
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. mark — a trace
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mark — a grade
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bulb — for light

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