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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. spring — the season
  6. firm — steady
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — of law
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. tear — to rip
  11. court — for sport
  12. firm — a company
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bark — to shout
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. tear — from crying
  18. spring — of water
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. firm — decided
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. court — of a king

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