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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 120 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. court — of law
  8. field — a subject
  9. spring — the season
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. field — farmland
  16. court — for sport
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spring — of water
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spring — a coil

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