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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. spring — a coil
  4. current — happening now
  5. mug — a face
  6. hand — help
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. current — electric
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. hand — in cards
  13. spring — the season
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mug — a cup
  16. capital — money
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. capital — a city
  19. current — of water
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. degree — an amount
  23. capital — a big letter
  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