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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. land — to come down
  5. lean — to bend
  6. key — for a lock
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. land — ground
  11. squash — to crush
  12. land — a country
  13. staff — employees
  14. squash — the sport
  15. staff — employees
  16. key — the most important part
  17. staff — a stick
  18. key — in music
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. spring — the season
  21. lean — thin
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. spring — a coil

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