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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. can — a tin
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spring — of water
  7. wind — moving air
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — in music
  13. staff — employees
  14. rash — hasty
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. can — a tin
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. spring — the season
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. can — to be able to
  23. staff — employees
  24. spring — a coil

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