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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. spring — of water
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spring — the season
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. staff — employees
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. cap — a hat
  18. ball — a great time
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. spring — a coil
  23. staff — employees
  24. cap — a lid

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