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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 120 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cold — not warm
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bank — for money
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. ball — a great time
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. tube — a container
  22. spring — of water
  23. bank — for money
  24. pit — in a race

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