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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. race — humankind
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hand — in cards
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. spring — a coil
  14. foot — a measure
  15. hand — help
  16. content — the amount
  17. race — the arms race
  18. spring — the season
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. content — happy
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. race — a contest

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