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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. current — electric
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. spring — of water
  6. shower — rain
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. court — for sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. current — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. ball — a dance
  14. court — of law
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. current — happening now
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ball — a great time
  19. spring — the season
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. court — of a king

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