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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. vault — a safe
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. club — for golf
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wake — a trail
  12. march — music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. chair — a leader
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — a group
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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