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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. season — of the year
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fine — all right
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. season — in sport
  9. content — the amount
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. spring — a coil
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. clip — a video
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. fine — high quality
  22. spring — of water
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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