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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mine — for digging
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. spring — the season
  9. cue — a hint
  10. season — in sport
  11. spring — of water
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. cue — for pool
  14. season — of the year
  15. spell — magic
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cue — a signal
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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