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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. spring — the season
  6. mate — to breed
  7. squash — the sport
  8. press — a publisher
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. fine — high quality
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. season — in sport
  16. spring — of water
  17. season — of the year
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mate — a friend
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. fine — all right
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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