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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. sharp — clever
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rock — music
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. spring — the season
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rock — a stone
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bass — low music
  16. staff — employees
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bass — the fish
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. saw — the tool
  23. staff — employees
  24. ball — a dance

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