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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. land — to come down
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. court — of law
  9. squash — the sport
  10. ground — crushed
  11. foot — a measure
  12. spring — of water
  13. ground — a position
  14. court — for sport
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ground — the earth
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. face — to confront
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. squash — to crush

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