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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. court — of a king
  6. spring — a coil
  7. court — of law
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. spring — the season
  11. fall — the season
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. court — for sport
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fall — to drop
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rock — music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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