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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 120 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. ground — crushed
  3. march — the month
  4. court — for sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. scale — in music
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. ground — a position
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. court — of law
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. season — in sport
  14. ground — the earth
  15. foot — a measure
  16. degree — from a university
  17. scale — size or range
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. degree — temperature
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. degree — an amount
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. safe — out of danger
  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