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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spring — the season
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. suit — to fit
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. deal — to handle
  8. capital — money
  9. ground — the earth
  10. clip — a video
  11. cap — a lid
  12. suit — in cards
  13. capital — a city
  14. spring — a coil
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. clip — for paper
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cap — a hat
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cap — of ice
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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