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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. court — of a king
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. root — the cause
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. root — of a plant
  8. ground — a position
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. degree — an amount
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. ground — the earth
  20. court — of law
  21. ground — crushed
  22. root — of a word
  23. court — for sport
  24. pound — for dogs

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