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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. court — of a king
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bank — for money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. court — of law
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bank — for money
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. season — in sport
  17. bank — of a river
  18. rest — a break
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cell — a phone
  24. court — for sport

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