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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. game — a match
  3. court — for sport
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. staff — employees
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. staff — a stick
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rock — music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rush — hurry
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spring — of water
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. staff — employees
  24. rock — a stone

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