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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
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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: stock · spring · key · bat · court · drill · spell · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. drill — a practice
  3. court — of law
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mug — a cup
  6. stock — goods
  7. court — for sport
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spring — the season
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mug — a face
  15. drill — the tool
  16. spring — of water
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. drill — army training
  21. spring — a coil
  22. key — in music
  23. spell — a short time
  24. court — of a king

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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