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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. object — a thing
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. roll — a cake
  7. object — to protest
  8. swing — to play on
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. spring — of water
  16. object — an aim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. roll — a list
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cell — a phone
  23. spring — the season
  24. cell — in biology

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