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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. race — humankind
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. staff — employees
  5. ground — crushed
  6. court — of a king
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. spring — the season
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. court — of law
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pound — a weight
  20. ball — a dance
  21. spring — a coil
  22. court — for sport
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. spring — of water

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