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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. land — to come down
  3. court — of a king
  4. bear — the animal
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. court — for sport
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. land — a country
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pit — in a race
  19. rash — a series
  20. court — of law
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spring — of water
  24. land — ground

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