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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. race — humankind
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pop — music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bass — the fish
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. row — a line
  15. race — a contest
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bass — low music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spring — the season

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