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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. spring — of water
  3. court — of a king
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rule — a law
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. firm — steady
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. firm — decided
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. spring — the season
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. spring — a coil
  17. deal — to handle
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rule — government
  20. court — of law
  21. kick — in football
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. firm — a company
  24. kick — a thrill

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