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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. spring — the season
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — in cards
  9. spring — of water
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. land — to come down
  12. key — the most important part
  13. deal — to handle
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. land — ground
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. hand — help
  19. date — the fruit
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. land — a country
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. key — in music

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