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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 120 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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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. pitch — completely
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. kid — child
  6. dip — to sink
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — the tool
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. court — for sport
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. saw — the tool
  21. court — of law
  22. kid — to tease
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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