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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. court — of a king
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. ground — a position
  8. row — a line
  9. foot — a measure
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — in cards
  14. current — happening now
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. court — of law
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ground — the earth
  19. row — to paddle
  20. suit — clothes
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. ground — crushed
  24. row — a quarrel

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