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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. can — to be able to
  7. spring — the season
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. row — a line
  11. spring — a coil
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. court — of law
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. fine — high quality
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. row — to paddle
  18. can — a tin
  19. bore — to drill
  20. spring — of water
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fine — all right
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bore — to tire

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