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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. march — the month
  7. mug — a face
  8. deal — to handle
  9. band — a ring
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. band — a music group
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. game — a match
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. march — the month
  21. spring — a coil
  22. plane — a tool
  23. game — wild animals
  24. march — music

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