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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rush — hurry
  5. spring — a coil
  6. object — to protest
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. spring — of water
  9. rash — a series
  10. court — of a king
  11. object — a thing
  12. spring — the season
  13. court — for sport
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. object — an aim
  17. game — a match
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. game — wild animals
  24. court — of law

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