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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 help me carry this box?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. can — to be able to
  3. object — an aim
  4. row — a line
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. can — a tin
  10. march — music
  11. snap — to click
  12. march — the month
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spring — the season
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. row — to paddle
  18. march — the month
  19. object — a thing
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. object — to protest
  23. can — a tin
  24. spring — of water

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