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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. capital — money
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bulb — for light
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. capital — a city
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bay — a horse colour

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