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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. court — of law
  4. club — for golf
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stand — to bear
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pop — music
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. hand — help
  12. pop — soda
  13. ground — a position
  14. shower — rain
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ground — crushed
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pop — to visit
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. tear — from crying
  24. hand — part of the body

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