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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. ball — a dance
  5. deal — to handle
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. kick — in football
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. spring — a coil
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cap — a lid

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