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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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468
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: cell · dip · pit · fork · game · spring · rush · key

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. key — the most important part
  4. dip — to sink
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rush — hurry
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. spring — the season
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fork — in a road
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cell — a phone

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