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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — of water
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. spring — the season
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. toast — bread
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pop — soda
  10. fork — in a road
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. swing — in golf
  13. mark — a trace
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pop — music
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pop — to visit
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. hand — help
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. racket — for tennis

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