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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mug — a face
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. court — of law
  5. spring — a coil
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mug — to rob
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. staff — employees
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — a safe
  23. spring — the season
  24. degree — temperature

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