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

Word bank: spring · mate · mouse · rest · cell · kid · deal · pit

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mate — to breed
  10. spring — the season
  11. rest — a break
  12. mate — a partner
  13. spring — a coil
  14. kid — child
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. mouse — 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