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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. spring — of water
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wind — moving air
  5. band — a ring
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wind — moving air
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bore — to drill
  10. staff — a stick
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. ball — a great time
  14. sharp — clever
  15. band — a music group
  16. mark — a trace
  17. spring — the season
  18. staff — employees
  19. ball — a dance
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. staff — employees
  24. wind — to turn a key

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