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

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. court — of a king
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. spring — the season
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. stock — goods
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. spring — of water
  13. court — of law
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wake — a trail
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stock — shares

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