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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spring — of water
  8. mate — to breed
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cap — of ice
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bound — certain
  17. stock — goods
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rash — a series
  20. rule — a law
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stock — shares

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