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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. vault — a safe
  4. swing — music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. mate — to breed
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spring — of water
  13. shower — rain
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pitch — completely
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mate — a partner
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. swing — in golf
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mate — a friend
  24. nail — on a finger

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