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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. rush — hurry
  4. face — to confront
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. key — the most important part
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. court — for sport
  10. row — to paddle
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bound — certain
  14. key — in music
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bound — tied together
  17. court — of law
  18. face — part of the head
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. row — a line
  21. ground — the earth
  22. key — for a lock
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. court — of a king

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