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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. tear — from crying
  3. court — of law
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — a price
  7. pit — in a race
  8. tear — from crying
  9. staff — employees
  10. charge — electricity
  11. court — of a king
  12. ground — the earth
  13. staff — a stick
  14. court — for sport
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pit — a hole
  17. tear — to rip
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. clip — a video
  20. ball — a great time
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. staff — employees
  24. ball — a dance

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