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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bat — the animal
  6. firm — steady
  7. degree — from a university
  8. game — a match
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. firm — a company
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. spring — a coil
  16. club — for golf
  17. firm — decided
  18. game — wild animals
  19. club — a group
  20. date — the fruit
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. degree — an amount
  24. club — for dancing

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