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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. squash — the sport
  3. spring — of water
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. track — a path
  9. march — the month
  10. fine — high quality
  11. track — a song
  12. fine — all right
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. squash — to crush
  16. staff — employees
  17. spring — a coil
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. spring — the season
  23. kick — in football
  24. track — to keep track

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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