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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. ground — the earth
  3. court — for sport
  4. spring — the season
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. ground — a position
  9. court — of law
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bat — the animal
  12. spring — of water
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pit — a hole
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. court — of a king
  21. snap — to click
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rash — hasty

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