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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fork — in a road
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. spring — the season
  9. bat — the animal
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bound — certain
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. saw — the tool
  16. content — happy
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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