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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bear — the animal
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. court — for sport
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. spring — the season
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pop — music
  10. can — a tin
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rule — a law
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bear — the animal
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. can — to be able to
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pop — soda
  20. can — a tin
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. spring — of water
  24. pop — to visit

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