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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. can — to be able to
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — to get on
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. can — a tin
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. can — a tin
  13. mark — a grade
  14. spring — a coil
  15. season — in sport
  16. mark — a trace
  17. spring — the season
  18. row — a line
  19. season — of the year
  20. board — a committee
  21. sharp — clever
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bat — the animal
  24. season — to add flavour

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