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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. game — a match
  2. spring — the season
  3. present — a gift
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rule — a law
  7. present — there
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spring — a coil
  10. court — for sport
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. stock — shares
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rule — government
  16. spring — of water
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. present — the time now
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. court — of law
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  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