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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. spring — of water
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pit — a hole
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pop — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pop — to visit
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. season — in sport
  13. spring — the season
  14. pit — in a race
  15. spring — a coil
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. content — the amount
  18. swing — music
  19. season — of the year
  20. pop — soda
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. swing — to play on
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. content — happy

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