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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. court — for sport
  3. object — to protest
  4. spring — of water
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. chest — of your body
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spring — the season
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bear — the animal
  19. object — an aim
  20. chest — a box
  21. mug — a face
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. object — a thing
  24. spring — a coil

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