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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rest — a break
  3. court — for sport
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. snap — to click
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. court — of a king
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. court — of law
  17. deal — to handle
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pitch — a sports field

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