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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 is in your ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. toast — bread
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. court — of a king
  5. spring — of water
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. court — of law
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bulb — for light
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wax — to grow
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. spring — the season
  19. roll — a cake
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bulb — for light
  24. roll — a list

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