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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. last — final
  3. suit — in cards
  4. fine — all right
  5. staff — employees
  6. last — finally
  7. spring — the season
  8. wind — moving air
  9. suit — clothes
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. staff — employees
  12. fine — high quality
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. staff — a stick
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. last — to go on
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spring — of water
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. suit — to fit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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