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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. suit — clothes
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wax — to grow
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. race — a contest
  7. hand — help
  8. suit — to fit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. spring — the season
  18. race — humankind
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. hand — in cards
  24. deal — to handle

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