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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. tube — a container
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. spring — the season
  8. fine — high quality
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fine — all right
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. charge — a price

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