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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spring — the season
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. net — for catching
  7. present — a gift
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. present — there
  10. wind — moving air
  11. net — after costs
  12. charge — electricity
  13. spring — a coil
  14. season — in sport
  15. net — in sport
  16. charge — a price
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. present — the time now
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spring — of water
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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