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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. court — of a king
  5. season — in sport
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spring — of water
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. ground — a position
  12. court — of law
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. saw — the tool
  18. court — for sport
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ground — crushed
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — of the year
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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