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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. spring — the season
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. court — for sport
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. staff — a stick
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. staff — employees
  19. fall — the season
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spring — of water
  24. staff — employees

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