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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cue — a hint
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fine — all right
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. drill — army training
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. drill — the tool
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. ground — the earth
  22. court — for sport
  23. cue — for pool
  24. ground — crushed

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