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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ground — a position
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. court — of a king
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. sharp — clever
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mark — a grade
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — a match
  16. court — for sport
  17. mark — a trace
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bank — of a river
  20. ground — crushed
  21. staff — employees
  22. ground — the earth
  23. tube — a container
  24. game — a kind of play

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