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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bank — for money
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. key — the most important part
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bass — low music
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. court — for sport
  10. spring — of water
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pound — a weight
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bank — for money
  19. court — of law
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bank — of a river
  24. spring — the season

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