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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. spring — a coil
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bass — low music
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bound — certain
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. key — in music
  13. court — for sport
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. court — of a king
  18. bound — tied together
  19. spring — the season
  20. deal — to handle
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. court — of law
  24. spring — of water

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