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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. spring — a coil
  6. game — a match
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. ball — a dance
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. ball — a great time
  12. game — wild animals
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. spring — of water
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. straw — a straw man

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