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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. staff — a stick
  3. swing — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. spring — the season
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. kick — in football
  9. swing — to play on
  10. scale — size or range
  11. can — a tin
  12. swing — in golf
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. spring — of water
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. root — the cause
  17. can — to be able to
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. can — a tin
  20. root — of a word
  21. staff — employees
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. scale — in music
  24. root — of a plant

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