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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. squash — to crush
  3. suit — in cards
  4. spring — of water
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. vault — a safe
  7. present — a gift
  8. kick — in football
  9. suit — to fit
  10. shower — to wash
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pitch — completely
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. spring — the season
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. present — there
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. present — the time now
  23. shower — rain
  24. squash — the vegetable

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