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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fine — high quality
  3. spring — the season
  4. kid — to tease
  5. capital — money
  6. rule — a law
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. staff — employees
  10. capital — a city
  11. staff — employees
  12. rule — government
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. spring — a coil
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. staff — a stick
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fine — all right
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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