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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rock — a stone
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rock — music
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bear — the animal
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rash — a series
  11. ground — a position
  12. season — in sport
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. lean — thin
  16. spring — the season
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. lean — to bend
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pitch — a sports field

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