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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. board — to get on
  4. charge — electricity
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. cold — an illness
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. spring — the season
  9. court — of law
  10. board — a committee
  11. foot — a measure
  12. toast — bread
  13. court — of a king
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cold — not warm
  17. charge — in control
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. court — for sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. charge — a price
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cold — the Cold War

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