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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. band — a music group
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. season — of the year
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pit — a hole
  8. band — a ring
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. face — to point toward
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rush — hurry
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. ball — a dance
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pit — in a race
  24. saw — the tool

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