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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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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: present · game · pop · mouse · nail · spring

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. present — the time now
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. present — a gift
  5. pop — soda
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. present — there
  11. spring — of water
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. game — a match
  18. nail — for a hammer

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