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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. drill — army training
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. court — of law
  7. lie — to recline
  8. ball — a great time
  9. board — a committee
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. drill — a practice
  13. spring — a coil
  14. board — to get on
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. drill — the tool
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pit — in a race
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. spring — the season

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