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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — a short time
  3. mate — a friend
  4. spring — of water
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mate — to breed
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. season — in sport
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pit — in a race
  15. season — of the year
  16. spring — the season
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ground — a position
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pit — a hole
  21. spell — letters
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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