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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. track — to keep track
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. spring — of water
  5. court — of law
  6. spring — a coil
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bank — of a river
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bank — for money
  13. wind — moving air
  14. track — a path
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. court — for sport
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. track — a song
  19. bank — for money
  20. wind — moving air
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. court — of a king
  24. spring — the season

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