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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. spring — of water
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. last — finally
  7. court — of a king
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. spring — the season
  11. bear — the animal
  12. court — of law
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — final
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. last — to go on
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rock — music
  21. spring — a coil
  22. court — for sport
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. rock — a stone

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