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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stand — to bear
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. court — of law
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — of a king
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. spring — the season
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. court — for sport
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. mine — for digging
  22. spring — of water
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stand — for spectators

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