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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. spring — a coil
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. toast — bread
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. capital — a city
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. capital — money
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. chip — for betting
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chip — to eat
  24. toast — the most admired

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