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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. season — of the year
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. spring — of water
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. season — in sport
  9. rest — a break
  10. spring — the season
  11. bound — certain
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — to fit
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rest — what's left
  17. land — a country
  18. bat — the animal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bound — obliged

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