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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bore — to tire
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. kick — in football
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. track — a path
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rash — a series
  9. suit — to fit
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. court — for sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. suit — clothes
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. track — a song
  17. spring — the season
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bore — to drill
  20. suit — in cards
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. track — to keep track
  24. coach — a trainer

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