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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. ground — crushed
  3. object — to protest
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. track — a song
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. track — to keep track
  8. present — there
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. court — of a king
  12. object — an aim
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ground — a position
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. track — a path
  19. court — of law
  20. ground — the earth
  21. court — for sport
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. bowl — a football final

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