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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. court — of law
  6. spring — a coil
  7. court — for sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cell — in biology
  11. board — to get on
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spring — of water
  15. court — of a king
  16. club — for golf
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cell — a phone
  19. board — a committee
  20. wind — moving air
  21. club — a group
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. board — a flat piece

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