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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: fall · mate · key · kid · game · spring · pit · rock

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mate — a friend
  3. game — a match
  4. pit — in a race
  5. fall — to drop
  6. spring — of water
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. fall — to drop
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rock — music
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. key — for a lock
  21. fall — the season
  22. pit — a hole
  23. spring — the season
  24. kid — child

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