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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. ground — a position
  3. bank — for money
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. ground — the earth
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mine — for digging
  11. ground — crushed
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. staff — employees
  16. bank — of a river
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bank — for money
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mouse — the animal

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