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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. chip — to eat
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. staff — employees
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. squash — the sport
  14. lie — to recline
  15. net — for catching
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. net — after costs
  18. chip — for betting
  19. rush — hurry
  20. spring — a coil
  21. squash — to crush
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. spring — the season
  24. net — in sport

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