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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. club — a group
  3. shower — to wash
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. club — for dancing
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. track — a song
  9. bound — obliged
  10. spring — the season
  11. bound — certain
  12. club — for golf
  13. date — the fruit
  14. cue — for pool
  15. shower — rain
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. track — to keep track
  19. spring — a coil
  20. track — a path
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bound — tied together

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