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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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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. stand — to bear
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. lean — to bend
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. lean — thin
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. hand — in cards
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. hand — help
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. spring — the season
  24. jam — in traffic

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