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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. fine — high quality
  6. spring — of water
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. fall — the season
  13. kid — child
  14. fine — all right
  15. rush — hurry
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kid — to tease
  24. spring — a coil

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