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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — low music
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. spring — the season
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. wind — moving air
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bass — the fish
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bass — the instrument

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