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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. court — for sport
  4. ball — a great time
  5. suit — clothes
  6. spring — a coil
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. ground — a position
  9. suit — in cards
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stand — to bear
  13. mine — for digging
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. spring — the season
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. spring — of water

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