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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. row — to paddle
  3. land — to come down
  4. swing — in golf
  5. track — to keep track
  6. spring — the season
  7. court — of law
  8. track — a song
  9. spring — of water
  10. season — in sport
  11. court — for sport
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. swing — music
  14. land — ground
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. land — a country
  19. row — a line
  20. stand — to bear
  21. swing — to play on
  22. spring — a coil
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. track — a path

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