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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. season — of the year
  4. can — a tin
  5. spring — of water
  6. bear — the animal
  7. race — humankind
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bass — the fish
  12. club — for golf
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bear — the animal
  15. club — a group
  16. can — a tin
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. race — a contest
  19. season — in sport
  20. bass — low music
  21. club — for dancing
  22. snap — to click
  23. race — the arms race
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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