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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. fine — high quality
  3. spring — of water
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. field — for sport
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. sharp — clever
  9. can — a tin
  10. field — a subject
  11. bank — for money
  12. court — for sport
  13. spring — a coil
  14. field — farmland
  15. court — of law
  16. spring — the season
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. can — a tin
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fine — all right
  24. can — to be able to

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