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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. spring — of water
  2. suit — to fit
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. lie — to recline
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. field — a subject
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cold — an illness
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. field — for sport
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cold — not warm
  20. suit — clothes
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. field — farmland
  23. racket — for tennis
  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