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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. chest — a box
  3. court — of a king
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. court — for sport
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rash — a series
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chest — of your body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. spring — the season
  22. court — of law
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. spring — of water

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