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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. band — a ring
  4. spring — the season
  5. band — a music group
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bound — certain
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. spring — of water
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match

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