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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. current — of water
  5. court — of law
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. ground — a position
  8. suit — in cards
  9. ground — crushed
  10. game — wild animals
  11. court — for sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. current — happening now
  14. suit — to fit
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rest — a break
  19. current — electric
  20. spell — magic
  21. court — of a king
  22. game — a match
  23. suit — clothes
  24. pitcher — a jug

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