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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. spring — the season
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. spring — of water
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mug — to rob
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. swing — in golf
  10. march — the month
  11. net — in sport
  12. swing — music
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. court — for sport
  15. swing — to play on
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mug — a face
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mug — a cup
  22. vault — a safe
  23. court — of law
  24. spring — a coil

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