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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. toast — bread
  3. club — for golf
  4. bound — tied together
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bound — certain
  9. spring — the season
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bound — obliged
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fork — in a road
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. wind — moving air
  24. club — a group

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