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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. suit — to fit
  3. last — finally
  4. court — of law
  5. last — to go on
  6. suit — in cards
  7. spring — of water
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. spring — the season
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. court — for sport
  18. last — final
  19. court — of a king
  20. row — a line
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. suit — clothes

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