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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lie — to recline
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. rest — a break
  10. degree — from a university
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. degree — temperature
  13. spring — a coil
  14. board — to get on
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fine — high quality
  23. board — a committee
  24. pitcher — a jug

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