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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. snap — to click
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. clip — to cut
  7. tear — to rip
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. tear — from crying
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ball — a dance
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. spring — the season
  20. board — to get on
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. board — a committee
  24. stock — a soup base

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