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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mate — to breed
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mate — a partner
  13. tube — the underground
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mate — a friend
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tube — a container
  24. ball — a great time

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