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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 116 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. court — of a king
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. court — of law
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ground — the earth
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. court — for sport
  24. wake — a trail

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