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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. swing — music
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. season — of the year
  5. spell — letters
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. firm — a company
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. swing — to play on
  12. spell — a short time
  13. season — in sport
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. spring — a coil
  16. swing — in golf
  17. firm — steady
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. firm — decided
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. spell — magic
  24. spring — of water

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