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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. court — of a king
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. court — for sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spring — the season
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rock — music
  11. spring — of water
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — in cards
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ground — crushed
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rock — a stone
  22. saw — the tool
  23. court — of law
  24. leaves — to go away

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