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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fall — the season
  11. net — for catching
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pound — a weight
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spring — a coil
  19. net — after costs
  20. spring — the season
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. net — in sport
  24. fall — to drop

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