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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 116 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. spring — a coil
  4. court — for sport
  5. cap — a lid
  6. current — happening now
  7. spring — of water
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. current — electric
  10. dip — to sink
  11. current — of water
  12. rash — a series
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rash — hasty
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spring — the season
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cap — of ice
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cap — a hat
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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