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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rock — a stone
  4. spring — the season
  5. court — of law
  6. current — happening now
  7. court — of a king
  8. spring — of water
  9. wound — an injury
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. court — for sport
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. current — electric
  18. rock — music
  19. swing — music
  20. current — of water
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wound — an injury
  23. swing — to play on
  24. foot — part of the body

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