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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. staff — employees
  12. wake — a trail
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rock — music
  15. staff — a stick
  16. net — for catching
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bass — low music
  19. net — after costs
  20. staff — employees
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. net — in sport
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. lie — to recline

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