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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spring — the season
  3. board — to get on
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. board — a committee
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. race — a contest
  9. ball — a great time
  10. race — humankind
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. ball — a dance
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. race — the arms race
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. hand — help
  22. dip — to sink
  23. hand — in cards
  24. deal — a big deal

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