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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cell — in biology
  4. spring — of water
  5. rush — hurry
  6. net — in sport
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bear — the animal
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. capital — a city
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. spring — the season
  19. net — for catching
  20. bear — the animal
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. net — after costs
  23. capital — money
  24. rush — to hurry

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