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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pit — in a race
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. track — a song
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pound — a weight
  7. spring — the season
  8. track — to keep track
  9. ball — a great time
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. track — a path
  12. cold — not warm
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spring — of water
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pit — a hole

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