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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. object — a thing
  3. spring — a coil
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spring — of water
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bound — certain
  10. fall — the season
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — obliged
  15. object — to protest
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. object — an aim
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rest — a break
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rest — what's left

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