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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 120 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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. firm — steady
  3. current — electric
  4. firm — decided
  5. chest — of your body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spring — of water
  8. march — the month
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. firm — a company
  12. chest — a box
  13. court — for sport
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. current — of water
  16. court — of law
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spring — the season
  20. march — music
  21. current — happening now
  22. march — the month
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. court — of a king

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