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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 120 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. firm — a company
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. firm — steady
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. firm — decided
  15. spring — of water
  16. pit — in a race
  17. present — the time now
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. present — a gift
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. present — there
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mine — an explosive

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