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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. board — to get on
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. key — in music
  12. spring — the season
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cap — a hat
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. board — a committee
  19. spring — of water
  20. tube — a container
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. cap — a lid
  24. key — for a lock

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