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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 120 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. firm — steady
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fine — all right
  6. spring — the season
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. key — the most important part
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mine — for digging
  12. key — in music
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. firm — a company
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. firm — decided
  19. rest — a break
  20. fine — high quality
  21. spring — of water
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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