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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pop — to visit
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a dance
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. spring — of water
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pop — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bear — the animal
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. spring — the season
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pop — soda
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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