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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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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: straw · fine · foot · race · bowl · season · mark · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. fine — high quality
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fine — all right
  12. spring — the season
  13. race — a contest
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. race — humankind
  17. mark — a trace
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. spring — a coil
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bowl — a dish

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