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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. suit — in cards
  5. pit — a hole
  6. suit — clothes
  7. key — in music
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. suit — to fit
  10. spring — of water
  11. row — a line
  12. key — for a lock
  13. capital — a city
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bulb — for light
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bulb — for light
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pit — in a race
  23. capital — money
  24. spring — a coil

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