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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. key — in music
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spring — the season
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. season — in sport
  11. present — the time now
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. season — of the year
  17. rule — government
  18. snap — to click
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spring — of water
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. rule — a law

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