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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. pop — soda
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. court — of law
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pop — music
  11. spring — of water
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. game — a match
  15. pop — to visit
  16. game — wild animals
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. charge — a price
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wind — moving air
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. charge — in control

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