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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. hand — in cards
  5. land — ground
  6. hand — help
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. land — to come down
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rash — hasty
  12. court — of a king
  13. spring — of water
  14. court — of law
  15. spring — a coil
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rash — a series
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. land — a country
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rash — on the skin

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