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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. court — for sport
  3. present — there
  4. fine — all right
  5. court — of a king
  6. present — a gift
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. present — the time now
  9. current — happening now
  10. court — of law
  11. current — electric
  12. row — a line
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. shower — rain
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. current — of water
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. spring — of water
  24. shower — to wash

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