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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ball — a great time
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. clip — a video
  14. spring — of water
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bat — the animal
  21. scale — in music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. clip — to cut

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