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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. season — in sport
  4. spring — of water
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. spring — the season
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bank — of a river
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. club — for dancing
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bank — for money
  20. club — for golf
  21. bank — for money
  22. pitch — completely
  23. club — a group
  24. pitcher — a jug

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