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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. board — to get on
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cue — a signal
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. spring — of water
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. cue — a hint
  10. court — for sport
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. court — of a king
  15. board — a committee
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. court — of law
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ball — a great time
  20. cue — for pool
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ball — a dance
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. hide — animal skin

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