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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ground — a position
  4. bass — low music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. court — of law
  7. bass — the fish
  8. court — for sport
  9. rest — a break
  10. staff — a stick
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. object — an aim
  15. staff — employees
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. court — of a king
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. object — a thing
  22. ground — crushed
  23. staff — employees
  24. rest — what's left

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