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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — finally
  5. file — a document
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. file — a tool
  13. spring — a coil
  14. last — to go on
  15. ball — a dance
  16. last — final
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. ball — a great time
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spring — the season
  24. file — a line of people

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