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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. season — of the year
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. firm — decided
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. staff — employees
  7. content — happy
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. rule — a law
  13. spring — a coil
  14. firm — a company
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. season — in sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. rule — government
  19. spring — of water
  20. firm — steady
  21. kick — in football
  22. content — the amount
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. season — to add flavour

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