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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 124 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rash — a series
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. degree — temperature
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ball — a dance
  7. spring — of water
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. ball — a great time
  14. season — in sport
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spring — a coil
  17. snap — to click
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lie — to recline
  22. season — of the year
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cue — for pool

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