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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rock — music
  4. mark — a trace
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rock — a stone
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. row — to paddle
  14. spring — the season
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. row — a line
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mark — a grade
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. fine — all right
  23. game — wild animals
  24. spring — of water

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