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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. key — in music
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. ground — a position
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. key — for a lock
  7. court — of a king
  8. stock — goods
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mug — a cup
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. ground — crushed
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stock — shares
  16. roll — a list
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a face
  19. squash — to crush
  20. deal — to handle
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a cake
  23. court — of law
  24. key — the most important part

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