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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: racket · court · pitcher · wind · staff · jam · arm · spring

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spring — a coil
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. spring — of water
  18. court — of law
  19. spring — the season
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wind — moving air
  24. jam — a tight spot

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