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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 120 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. spring — the season
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. spring — of water
  9. court — for sport
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mate — a partner
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stand — to bear
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. mate — a friend
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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