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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bark — to shout
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. spring — the season
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. deal — a big deal

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