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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. swing — to play on
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. can — to be able to
  8. court — of a king
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mate — a partner
  11. can — a tin
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. mate — a friend
  14. swing — music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. can — a tin
  17. court — of law
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mate — to breed
  20. swing — in golf
  21. toast — bread
  22. pit — in a race
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. ground — the earth

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