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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. board — to get on
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. squash — the sport
  7. current — electric
  8. spring — the season
  9. current — of water
  10. squash — to crush
  11. rest — a break
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. board — a committee
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rest — what's left
  23. current — happening now
  24. rest — what's left

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