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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. season — in sport
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. season — of the year
  7. spring — the season
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pop — music
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pop — to visit
  18. can — a tin
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. foot — a measure
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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