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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. court — of a king
  6. hand — help
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. spring — of water
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. board — to get on
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. board — a committee
  19. court — for sport
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. court — of law
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hand — part of the body

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