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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. game — wild animals
  3. shower — rain
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. squash — the sport
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. bulb — for light
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — a container
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. game — a match
  20. capital — money
  21. shower — to wash
  22. capital — a city
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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