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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. plane — a tool
  6. scale — in music
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. land — a country
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. scale — size or range
  11. stand — to bear
  12. fork — in a road
  13. court — of a king
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. court — of law
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. court — for sport
  24. fork — a garden tool

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