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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. spring — of water
  3. present — the time now
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. snap — to click
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fine — high quality
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. tube — a container
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pop — to visit
  15. land — ground
  16. pop — soda
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fine — all right
  19. pop — music
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rash — a series
  23. spring — the season
  24. present — a gift

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