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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 116 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. fine — all right
  5. spring — of water
  6. object — a thing
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. track — a path
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bat — the animal
  14. ball — a great time
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. spring — a coil
  17. object — an aim
  18. hand — help
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. track — a song
  21. object — to protest
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. track — to keep track
  24. hand — in cards

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