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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. court — of law
  4. rock — music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. spring — a coil
  9. toast — bread
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. band — a music group
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bulb — for light
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. court — of a king
  24. rock — a stone

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