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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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. last — to go on
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bass — low music
  9. last — final
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cue — for pool
  14. spring — the season
  15. firm — decided
  16. cue — a signal
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. last — finally
  19. firm — a company
  20. pit — in a race
  21. firm — steady
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cue — a hint

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