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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. court — for sport
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. ground — a position
  8. court — of a king
  9. pop — soda
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. court — of law
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pop — music
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lean — thin
  23. ground — the earth
  24. perch — the fish

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