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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mate — a friend
  9. tear — to rip
  10. court — for sport
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. court — of law
  18. tear — from crying
  19. squash — the sport
  20. tear — from crying
  21. court — of a king
  22. spring — of water
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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