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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. court — of law
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. net — after costs
  6. swing — music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. ball — a dance
  11. firm — steady
  12. court — of a king
  13. firm — decided
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — the underground
  16. court — for sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ball — a great time
  19. firm — a company
  20. net — for catching
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. swing — in golf
  23. spring — a coil
  24. swing — to play on

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