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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · spring · mine · fine · season · mate · spell · safe

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. spring — the season
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. spell — magic
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spell — a short time
  8. season — of the year
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. season — in sport
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fine — high quality
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spell — letters
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. spring — of water
  23. safe — out of danger
  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