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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 116 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. court — of a king
  3. track — a path
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mate — a friend
  7. press — to push
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. current — electric
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mate — a partner
  13. spring — a coil
  14. press — newspapers
  15. court — of law
  16. wax — to grow
  17. press — a publisher
  18. spring — the season
  19. current — happening now
  20. court — for sport
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. current — of water
  23. track — a song
  24. mate — to breed

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