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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. firm — steady
  4. court — of a king
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bank — for money
  7. cold — not warm
  8. spring — the season
  9. firm — a company
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cold — an illness
  14. court — for sport
  15. firm — decided
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. mine — for digging
  23. spring — a coil
  24. court — of law

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