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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. season — of the year
  3. pitch — completely
  4. can — to be able to
  5. spring — a coil
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spring — the season
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. pop — music
  11. staff — employees
  12. land — ground
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. land — a country
  18. pop — soda
  19. land — to come down
  20. spring — of water
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pop — to visit
  24. season — in sport

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