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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mug — to rob
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. court — for sport
  6. spring — a coil
  7. key — in music
  8. court — of a king
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mug — a cup
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. roll — a list
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. spring — the season
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cold — an illness
  20. spring — of water
  21. fine — all right
  22. court — of law
  23. mug — a face
  24. key — for a lock

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