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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. game — wild animals
  3. shower — to wash
  4. spring — of water
  5. squash — to crush
  6. suit — in cards
  7. spring — the season
  8. squash — the sport
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. suit — clothes
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. staff — employees
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. net — after costs
  16. staff — employees
  17. game — a match
  18. spring — a coil
  19. staff — a stick
  20. shower — rain
  21. net — in sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. net — for catching
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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