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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. suit — in cards
  3. last — final
  4. spring — a coil
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. lie — to recline
  8. last — to go on
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. last — finally
  12. suit — clothes
  13. degree — from a university
  14. season — of the year
  15. degree — an amount
  16. spring — of water
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. band — a music group
  19. degree — temperature
  20. season — in sport
  21. fine — all right
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. suit — to fit
  24. lie — an untruth

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