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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. can — a tin
  3. firm — a company
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. race — a contest
  6. scale — in music
  7. race — humankind
  8. court — for sport
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. court — of law
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. race — the arms race
  14. spring — of water
  15. scale — size or range
  16. firm — steady
  17. can — to be able to
  18. firm — decided
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. can — a tin
  21. court — of a king
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. spring — a coil

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