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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pitch — completely
  5. club — for golf
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pop — soda
  8. face — to confront
  9. field — for sport
  10. mug — a face
  11. club — for dancing
  12. season — in sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. pop — music
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pop — to visit
  20. club — a group
  21. face — to point toward
  22. spring — the season
  23. face — part of the head
  24. spring — of water

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