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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. rock — music
  13. court — of a king
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. spring — of water
  16. pass — a permit
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rock — to move gently

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