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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. suit — in cards
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bound — certain
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. suit — clothes
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bound — obliged
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. spring — a coil
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. scale — in music
  21. spring — the season
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. present — a gift
  24. suit — to fit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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