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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spring — of water
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. spell — magic
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. capital — money
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. kid — child
  14. rush — hurry
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. kid — to tease
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. spring — the season
  20. spell — letters
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bass — low music
  23. capital — a city
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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