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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. court — for sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. spring — the season
  5. current — happening now
  6. ground — a position
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. current — of water
  13. bass — low music
  14. present — the time now
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. present — a gift
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. present — there
  20. ground — crushed
  21. court — of law
  22. current — electric
  23. bass — the fish
  24. court — of a king

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