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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. court — for sport
  3. club — a group
  4. spring — a coil
  5. court — of a king
  6. mate — a partner
  7. race — a contest
  8. land — to come down
  9. spring — the season
  10. press — to push
  11. land — a country
  12. press — a publisher
  13. land — ground
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mate — to breed
  17. club — for golf
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mate — a friend
  21. court — of law
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. club — for dancing

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