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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. last — final
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. pit — in a race
  7. last — to go on
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bear — the animal
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. pit — a hole
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. last — finally
  17. spring — a coil
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. tube — a container

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