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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ground — a position
  4. court — of a king
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bank — of a river
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. staff — employees
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bank — for money
  18. stand — to bear
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bank — for money
  21. staff — employees
  22. court — of law
  23. staff — a stick
  24. court — for sport

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