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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. spring — of water
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. spring — the season
  5. snap — to click
  6. swing — music
  7. pit — a hole
  8. swing — to play on
  9. hand — in cards
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bear — the animal
  12. firm — a company
  13. hand — help
  14. spring — a coil
  15. firm — steady
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. swing — in golf
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pit — in a race
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bear — the animal
  24. dip — a sauce

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