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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. court — of a king
  3. last — final
  4. court — of law
  5. row — to paddle
  6. court — for sport
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. last — finally
  9. ground — crushed
  10. last — to go on
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. row — a line
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fork — in a road
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. ground — a position
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mate — to breed

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