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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. roll — a list
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. court — for sport
  7. drill — army training
  8. snap — to click
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. tear — from crying
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. dip — to sink
  15. roll — a cake
  16. drill — the tool
  17. court — of a king
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. tear — to rip
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. ground — a position
  24. drill — a practice

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