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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. date — the fruit
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. rest — a break
  9. scale — size or range
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. spring — a coil
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. scale — in music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spring — of water
  20. rest — what's left
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. stand — to bear
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. sharp — exactly

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