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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. suit — clothes
  4. pit — in a race
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. last — final
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. last — finally
  11. kid — to tease
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cue — a signal
  16. kid — child
  17. pit — a hole
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — to fit
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. spring — the season
  22. cue — for pool
  23. last — to go on
  24. squash — to crush

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