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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. spring — of water
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. spell — letters
  5. hand — help
  6. spell — magic
  7. spring — a coil
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. hand — in cards
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — clothes
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. court — of law
  15. suit — to fit
  16. spring — the season
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. court — for sport
  22. spell — a short time
  23. squash — the sport
  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