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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bat — the animal
  3. roll — a list
  4. season — in sport
  5. present — a gift
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. hand — in cards
  9. season — of the year
  10. present — the time now
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. present — there
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. hand — help
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. spring — of water
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. roll — a cake
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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