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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chair — a leader
  4. spring — a coil
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. swing — music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cap — a lid
  20. spring — the season
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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