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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. mate — a friend
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. court — for sport
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. plane — a tool
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pound — a weight
  12. court — of a king
  13. ground — the earth
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. mate — to breed
  21. deal — to handle
  22. court — of law
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pound — for dogs

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