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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. club — a group
  7. can — a tin
  8. bass — the fish
  9. key — for a lock
  10. club — for golf
  11. kid — to tease
  12. club — for dancing
  13. field — for sport
  14. key — in music
  15. can — a tin
  16. spring — a coil
  17. can — to be able to
  18. kid — child
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. bass — low music
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. key — the most important part

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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