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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spring — of water
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. race — a contest
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rest — what's left
  12. race — humankind
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spring — a coil
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. spring — the season
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. race — the arms race
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rest — a break
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. sharp — exactly

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