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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. cap — of ice
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. key — in music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — the season
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. spring — a coil
  16. drill — the tool
  17. cap — a hat
  18. key — the most important part
  19. chair — a leader
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. drill — army training
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. arm — part of the body

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