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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. court — for sport
  5. spring — of water
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bank — of a river
  8. root — of a word
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. fine — all right
  13. root — the cause
  14. spring — the season
  15. root — of a plant
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bank — for money
  20. shower — rain
  21. fine — high quality
  22. vault — a safe
  23. spring — a coil
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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