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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. object — a thing
  3. track — a song
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. band — a music group
  6. spring — of water
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spring — the season
  12. band — a ring
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. track — a path
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. object — an aim
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pop — music
  22. object — to protest
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pop — soda

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