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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. spring — the season
  4. last — final
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rush — hurry
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. last — finally
  10. spring — a coil
  11. lean — thin
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. spring — of water
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. last — to go on
  17. stand — to bear
  18. season — of the year
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. season — in sport
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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