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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. net — after costs
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. spring — of water
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. net — for catching
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. net — in sport
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pop — music
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pop — soda
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. game — wild animals
  23. spring — a coil
  24. game — a match

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