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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. can — a tin
  3. ground — a position
  4. court — of a king
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. last — finally
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. can — to be able to
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wake — a trail
  14. last — final
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. can — a tin
  18. last — to go on
  19. court — for sport
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. row — a line
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. ground — the earth

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