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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. fall — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. band — a music group
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. court — for sport
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. court — of law
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. fall — to drop
  22. foot — a measure
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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