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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  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. court — for sport
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fine — all right
  11. charge — a price
  12. court — of a king
  13. charge — in control
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spring — of water
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. season — of the year
  19. fine — high quality
  20. spring — the season
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. season — in sport
  23. charge — electricity
  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