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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. capital — money
  3. object — an aim
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. drill — a practice
  8. capital — a city
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. spring — the season
  11. game — a match
  12. object — a thing
  13. bear — the animal
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fork — in a road
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. object — to protest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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