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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 124 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. chest — a box
  3. object — to protest
  4. spring — the season
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pit — a hole
  7. spring — a coil
  8. chest — of your body
  9. object — an aim
  10. pit — in a race
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. object — a thing
  17. club — for dancing
  18. chest — of your body
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. club — for golf
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. ground — a position
  24. club — a group

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