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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bound — certain
  6. rest — a break
  7. cell — a phone
  8. ball — a dance
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stock — shares
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fall — the season
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spring — the season
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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