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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. ground — a position
  3. firm — steady
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. march — the month
  7. ground — the earth
  8. fine — high quality
  9. season — of the year
  10. firm — a company
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. court — of a king
  13. march — the month
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. firm — decided
  17. march — music
  18. hand — help
  19. ground — crushed
  20. court — of law
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. season — in sport
  24. court — for 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