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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. squash — the sport
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rock — music
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. squash — to crush
  8. spring — the season
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bound — obliged
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. rock — a stone
  14. key — in music
  15. bound — certain
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bound — tied together
  21. key — the most important part
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. key — for a lock
  24. board — a committee

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