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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rash — hasty
  6. spring — of water
  7. staff — a stick
  8. key — for a lock
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rash — a series
  11. rule — a law
  12. key — the most important part
  13. tube — the underground
  14. staff — employees
  15. rule — government
  16. tube — a container
  17. pitch — completely
  18. key — in music
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. staff — employees
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cell — a phone

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