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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 124 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. staff — employees
  3. spring — of water
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spring — a coil
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. deal — to handle
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wound — an injury
  12. staff — employees
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. staff — a stick
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. toast — bread
  19. spring — the season
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. racket — a loud noise

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