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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. firm — decided
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cap — a lid
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. firm — steady
  13. cap — a hat
  14. firm — a company
  15. mine — for digging
  16. spring — the season
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. current — of water
  20. cap — of ice
  21. current — electric
  22. club — for golf
  23. current — happening now
  24. club — a group

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