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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — in a road
  4. court — of law
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. spring — of water
  7. court — for sport
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. net — for catching
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. spring — the season
  15. net — after costs
  16. suit — to fit
  17. cell — a phone
  18. court — of a king
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bulb — for light
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — clothes
  24. cell — in biology

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