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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. key — in music
  6. rush — hurry
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. snap — to click
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ball — a great time
  12. game — wild animals
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ball — a dance
  16. key — the most important part
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. spring — a coil
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spring — the season
  22. key — for a lock
  23. game — a match
  24. deal — to handle

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