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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ground — crushed
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. court — for sport
  19. roll — a list
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. court — of a king
  22. ground — the earth
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. ground — a position

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