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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. spring — the season
  3. rush — hurry
  4. lean — thin
  5. club — for dancing
  6. spring — of water
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. spring — a coil
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. club — for golf
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. club — a group
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rest — a break

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