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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. spring — of water
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. march — the month
  5. rest — a break
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. march — music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pitch — completely
  18. spring — the season
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bear — the animal
  21. march — the month
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mine — an explosive

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