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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 116 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. spring — of water
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rest — a break
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pit — a hole
  7. can — a tin
  8. spring — a coil
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bound — obliged
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. drill — army training
  16. can — a tin
  17. degree — an amount
  18. spring — the season
  19. drill — a practice
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bound — certain
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rest — what's left

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