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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. season — in sport
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. court — of law
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. court — of a king
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. ground — the earth
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. season — of the year
  19. ground — a position
  20. court — for sport
  21. ball — a great time
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ball — a dance

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