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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. ground — a position
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. content — the amount
  5. net — for catching
  6. object — a thing
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a hole
  9. object — to protest
  10. court — of law
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. net — after costs
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. court — for sport
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. court — of a king
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pop — to visit
  21. ground — crushed
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ground — the earth
  24. net — in sport

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