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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. swing — to play on
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. tube — the underground
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. object — an aim
  9. spring — a coil
  10. race — the arms race
  11. swing — music
  12. object — a thing
  13. saw — the tool
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. object — to protest
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. race — a contest
  20. tube — a container
  21. spring — the season
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. saw — the tool
  24. race — humankind

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