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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. object — a thing
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. squash — to crush
  5. spring — of water
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. sharp — clever
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spring — a coil
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. key — for a lock
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — to protest
  16. squash — the sport
  17. key — in music
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. spring — the season
  24. sharp — with an edge

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