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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. spring — of water
  5. field — farmland
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. spring — the season
  8. lean — thin
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mug — a face
  11. court — for sport
  12. field — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mate — a friend
  19. lean — to bend
  20. court — of law
  21. object — a thing
  22. mate — a partner
  23. field — a subject
  24. mug — to rob

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