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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. net — for catching
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mate — to breed
  6. net — after costs
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. fall — the season
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fall — to drop
  11. track — to keep track
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. net — in sport
  14. hand — help
  15. track — a path
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mate — a friend
  19. spring — of water
  20. fall — to drop
  21. track — a song
  22. mate — a partner
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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