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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · bear · spring · court · ground · safe · snap · mark

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. court — of law
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bear — the animal
  7. court — of a king
  8. kid — to tease
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. snap — to click
  12. ground — the earth
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. spring — of water
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kid — child
  21. court — for sport
  22. mark — a grade
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bear — to put up with

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