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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. swing — to play on
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. mate — to breed
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. spring — the season
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. firm — steady
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. swing — music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. swing — in golf
  21. firm — a company
  22. foot — a measure
  23. firm — decided
  24. sharp — clever

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