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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. spring — of water
  5. field — a subject
  6. current — of water
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. firm — a company
  10. field — farmland
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. field — for sport
  13. court — for sport
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bark — to shout
  16. current — electric
  17. pit — a hole
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — decided
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. spring — a coil
  23. current — happening now
  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