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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mate — a friend
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. court — for sport
  5. suit — clothes
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mate — a partner
  8. court — of a king
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. spring — of water
  11. suit — in cards
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. court — of law
  21. suit — to fit
  22. rash — a series
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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