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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. spring — of water
  4. pit — a hole
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. stock — shares
  13. march — the month
  14. object — an aim
  15. season — in sport
  16. march — music
  17. board — a committee
  18. object — to protest
  19. stock — goods
  20. spring — the season
  21. march — the month
  22. object — a thing
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pit — in a race

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