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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. spring — of water
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bear — the animal
  5. spring — the season
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. rest — a break
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. last — finally
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mug — a face
  16. last — final
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spring — a coil
  19. last — to go on
  20. board — to get on
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bear — to put up with

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