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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rock — a stone
  3. court — of law
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pit — a hole
  7. ground — a position
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. pit — in a race
  11. suit — to fit
  12. court — of a king
  13. ground — crushed
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. toast — bread
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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