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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. present — a gift
  4. fine — high quality
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. spring — the season
  7. rash — a series
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. spring — a coil
  11. present — there
  12. season — in sport
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. mine — for digging
  16. present — the time now
  17. spring — of water
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. fine — all right
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. vault — a safe

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