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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. band — a ring
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. firm — a company
  8. kid — to tease
  9. court — of law
  10. firm — decided
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. present — there
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — of water
  16. kid — child
  17. firm — steady
  18. band — a music group
  19. pitch — completely
  20. present — the time now
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. present — a gift
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — to hurry

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