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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rash — a series
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. tube — a container
  10. pop — to visit
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rash — hasty
  13. charge — a price
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. net — after costs
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pop — music
  21. net — for catching
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. net — in sport
  24. cell — a phone

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