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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. band — a music group
  3. cue — a hint
  4. chest — a box
  5. court — of a king
  6. cue — a signal
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. court — of law
  13. ball — a great time
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bore — to drill
  19. court — for sport
  20. cue — for pool
  21. band — a ring
  22. ball — a dance
  23. chest — of your body
  24. spring — a coil

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