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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. spring — of water
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. club — a group
  6. court — of law
  7. club — for dancing
  8. staff — employees
  9. net — for catching
  10. staff — employees
  11. snap — to click
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. court — of a king
  15. club — for golf
  16. net — in sport
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. net — after costs
  20. court — for sport
  21. ground — the earth
  22. spring — the season
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. staff — a stick

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