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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 116 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. court — of law
  2. staff — employees
  3. spring — of water
  4. staff — employees
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mug — a face
  7. bat — the animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mug — to rob
  18. staff — a stick
  19. spring — the season
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stand — to bear
  22. court — for sport
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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