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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 116 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: object · swing · fan · spring · pit · court · cabinet · tube

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. object — a thing
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. swing — to play on
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. swing — music
  17. object — an aim
  18. pit — in a race
  19. tube — a container
  20. object — to protest
  21. tube — the underground
  22. swing — in golf
  23. spring — of water
  24. fan — to cool the air

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