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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mug — a face
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rest — what's left
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. current — electric
  13. rest — a break
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mug — a cup
  16. court — of law
  17. mug — to rob
  18. court — for sport
  19. current — of water
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. club — for dancing
  22. spring — the season
  23. rest — what's left
  24. current — happening now

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