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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.

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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — newspapers
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mate — to breed
  9. season — in sport
  10. press — to push
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. season — of the year
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spring — of water
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pitch — completely
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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