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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spring — of water
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. saw — the tool
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spring — the season
  11. track — a path
  12. ball — a dance
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. ball — a great time
  18. spring — a coil
  19. track — to keep track
  20. club — a group
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. track — a song
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. patient — a sick person

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