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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. net — for catching
  5. court — of law
  6. spring — of water
  7. net — after costs
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. band — a music group
  12. swing — music
  13. court — of a king
  14. pit — in a race
  15. band — a ring
  16. snap — to click
  17. court — for sport
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. net — in sport
  21. pit — a hole
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. swing — in golf

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