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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. spring — the season
  2. season — of the year
  3. file — a document
  4. cap — a hat
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stand — to bear
  9. cap — a lid
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cap — of ice
  12. file — a line of people
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. lie — to recline
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. sharp — clever
  21. file — a tool
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. trunk — of a car
  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