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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. spring — a coil
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. spring — the season
  7. court — of a king
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. court — for sport
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. spring — of water
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. court — of law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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