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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. last — to go on
  3. ground — a position
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. shower — rain
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. court — of a king
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. court — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. stand — to bear
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. shower — to wash

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