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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spell — letters
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rest — what's left
  5. spring — of water
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. swing — to play on
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. spell — a short time
  14. club — a group
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. snap — to click
  17. rest — a break
  18. spring — the season
  19. rest — what's left
  20. swing — music
  21. dip — to sink
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. spell — magic
  24. swing — in golf

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