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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. suit — to fit
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. tear — to rip
  8. court — for sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. foot — a measure
  11. court — of law
  12. suit — clothes
  13. spell — letters
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. suit — in cards
  17. spring — the season
  18. court — of a king
  19. tear — from crying
  20. drill — army training
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. drill — a practice
  24. spring — a coil

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