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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. firm — steady
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spring — the season
  8. race — humankind
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spring — a coil
  15. race — a contest
  16. rock — music
  17. firm — a company
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. firm — decided
  21. ground — crushed
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rock — a stone

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