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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. kick — in football
  5. spring — a coil
  6. field — for sport
  7. bound — tied together
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lie — to recline
  14. spring — the season
  15. track — a song
  16. race — humankind
  17. bound — certain
  18. field — farmland
  19. track — to keep track
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. track — a path
  22. field — a subject
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. lie — an untruth

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