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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. season — in sport
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cell — in biology
  8. season — of the year
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. spring — of water
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spring — the season
  18. mate — to breed
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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