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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. spring — of water
  6. date — the fruit
  7. band — a music group
  8. spring — a coil
  9. court — of a king
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. dip — to sink
  15. board — a committee
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. band — a ring
  19. board — to get on
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. spring — the season
  24. board — a flat piece

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