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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. court — of a king
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spell — magic
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. file — a line of people
  9. court — for sport
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. degree — an amount
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. ground — crushed
  17. file — a tool
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. court — of law
  21. degree — from a university
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — a tool
  24. file — a document

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