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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. court — of a king
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. key — in music
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spring — the season
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rest — what's left
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. board — to get on
  16. rest — what's left
  17. court — of law
  18. board — a committee
  19. clip — for paper
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — for a lock
  24. court — for sport

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