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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. field — for sport
  3. hand — help
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. field — a subject
  6. spring — of water
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. field — farmland
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spring — a coil
  11. court — for sport
  12. pass — a permit
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. court — of law
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. hand — in cards
  18. spring — the season
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. court — of a king
  24. stock — a soup base

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