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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. court — for sport
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. season — of the year
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ground — the earth
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mark — a grade
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pound — a weight
  16. ground — a position
  17. court — of a king
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. court — of law
  21. row — a line
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. season — in 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