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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cue — for pool
  5. ground — a position
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. kick — in football
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. ground — the earth
  15. spring — the season
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cue — a signal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spring — a coil

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