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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. last — finally
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. court — of law
  6. last — to go on
  7. court — of a king
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bank — of a river
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. ground — a position
  16. court — for sport
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bank — for money
  19. last — final
  20. ground — the earth
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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