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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. spring — the season
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tube — the underground
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. stock — shares
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spring — a coil
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. snap — to click
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. tube — a container
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. stock — goods
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. stock — a soup base

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