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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: swing · can · mate · cap · suit · mark · last · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. last — finally
  3. swing — music
  4. suit — to fit
  5. mate — a partner
  6. can — to be able to
  7. mate — a friend
  8. last — final
  9. suit — in cards
  10. mate — to breed
  11. swing — in golf
  12. cap — a hat
  13. spring — the season
  14. mark — a grade
  15. last — to go on
  16. spring — of water
  17. can — a tin
  18. mark — a trace
  19. suit — clothes
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. swing — to play on
  22. cap — of ice
  23. can — a tin
  24. cap — a lid

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