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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: snap · mug · net · mine · spring · chest · pass · season

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. season — of the year
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. net — after costs
  8. pass — a permit
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. spring — of water
  17. net — for catching
  18. chest — a box
  19. net — in sport
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mine — belonging to me

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