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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. ground — a position
  4. object — to protest
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. swing — music
  9. rash — a series
  10. court — of law
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. swing — in golf
  14. object — a thing
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. object — an aim
  24. court — of a king

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