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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. clip — a video
  5. spring — the season
  6. court — of law
  7. spring — of water
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spring — a coil
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. court — of a king
  12. stock — goods
  13. court — for sport
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stock — shares
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. clip — to cut
  19. ball — a dance
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. ball — a great time
  23. clip — for paper
  24. arm — a part of something

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