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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. court — of a king
  3. bear — the animal
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bound — tied together
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bear — the animal
  13. court — of law
  14. bound — certain
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bound — obliged
  20. court — for sport
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. spring — of water
  24. dip — to dunk

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