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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: spring · can · chest · court · rash · fork · bowl · key

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. court — of a king
  5. can — a tin
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rash — a series
  9. spring — the season
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chest — a box
  12. fork — in a road
  13. key — in music
  14. chest — of your body
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. spring — of water

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