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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pop — soda
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. spring — of water
  8. rock — music
  9. cold — not warm
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. pop — to visit
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. present — the time now
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rock — a stone
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. present — a gift
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. present — there
  21. pop — music
  22. dip — to sink
  23. spring — a coil
  24. racket — for tennis

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