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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 116 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. vault — a safe
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. kid — to tease
  7. cell — a phone
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. spring — of water
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mug — a face
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rest — what's left
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cell — in biology
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rest — a break

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