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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. key — the most important part
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. key — for a lock
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. key — in music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. shower — rain
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. spring — the season

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