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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. court — of law
  4. suit — clothes
  5. court — for sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. scale — in music
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. scale — size or range
  12. season — of the year
  13. court — of a king
  14. rush — hurry
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. branch — a division
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — in cards
  23. ground — a position
  24. season — in sport

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