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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 120 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. net — in sport
  3. court — for sport
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. spring — of water
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. net — after costs
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. row — a line
  13. field — for sport
  14. pit — a hole
  15. net — for catching
  16. field — farmland
  17. court — of a king
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pit — in a race
  21. field — a subject
  22. row — to paddle
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pit — a fruit stone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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