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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. firm — a company
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. file — a line of people
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. firm — steady
  9. court — of law
  10. mark — a grade
  11. file — a tool
  12. spring — of water
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. spring — a coil
  17. firm — decided
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. file — a document
  21. mark — a trace
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. spring — the season
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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