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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: spring · hand · arm · court · stick · snap · saw · fall

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. hand — help
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fall — the season
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. court — of law
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spring — of water
  12. snap — to click
  13. fall — to drop
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. hand — in cards
  17. court — for sport
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spring — a coil
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spring — the season
  24. arm — part of the body

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