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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. court — of law
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. land — ground
  9. pop — soda
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. game — wild animals
  17. land — a country
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. game — a match
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pop — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. land — to come down

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