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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. spring — a coil
  4. season — in sport
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. cue — a hint
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cue — for pool
  15. season — of the year
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. ground — crushed
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. roll — a list
  22. cue — a signal
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. roll — a cake

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