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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wake — a trail
  5. squash — to crush
  6. court — for sport
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. spring — the season
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. court — of a king
  15. cell — in biology
  16. spring — of water
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bound — certain
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. court — of law
  23. bound — tied together
  24. squash — the sport

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