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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. object — an aim
  6. spring — of water
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bass — the fish
  13. content — the amount
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. object — to protest
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. season — of the year
  19. cell — in biology
  20. content — happy
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. object — a thing
  24. cabinet — ministers

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