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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mine — for digging
  4. wound — an injury
  5. suit — to fit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. spring — the season
  8. mark — a grade
  9. suit — in cards
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. spring — of water
  16. game — wild animals
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. suit — clothes
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. game — a match
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. spring — a coil
  24. racket — a loud noise

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