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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · present · rush · toast · spring · mouse

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rush — hurry
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. present — there
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spring — the season
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. spring — of water
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. game — a match
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. present — the time now
  18. toast — bread

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