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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lie — to recline
  6. track — a path
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. root — the cause
  9. kid — child
  10. spring — a coil
  11. track — a song
  12. root — of a plant
  13. deal — to handle
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. root — of a word
  17. kid — to tease
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. swing — music
  20. track — to keep track
  21. spring — the season
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play on

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