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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 120 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pit — in a race
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. hand — help
  10. lean — thin
  11. spring — the season
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rock — music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rest — a break
  19. spring — of water
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. deal — to handle
  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