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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pop — music
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. ground — crushed
  8. tube — a container
  9. pop — to visit
  10. court — for sport
  11. ground — a position
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. court — of law
  18. lean — to bend
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pop — soda
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. court — of a king

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