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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. spring — the season
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. charge — in control
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. charge — a price
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pop — to visit
  23. spring — of water
  24. bear — the animal

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