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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. pop — music
  4. court — of a king
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. court — of law
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. degree — from a university
  12. spring — a coil
  13. court — for sport
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. spring — of water
  20. pop — soda
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. field — farmland

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