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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. object — to protest
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — a contest
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. court — for sport
  11. stock — goods
  12. rest — a break
  13. race — the arms race
  14. court — of law
  15. stock — shares
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. court — of a king
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. object — a thing
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. object — an aim
  24. ground — crushed

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