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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. game — a match
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bound — certain
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stem — to come from
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. spring — of water
  13. game — wild animals
  14. court — of law
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. court — of a king
  17. bound — obliged
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. court — for sport
  21. spring — the season
  22. bound — tied together
  23. sharp — clever
  24. racket — a loud noise

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