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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pop — soda
  5. ground — a position
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mate — a friend
  12. court — of a king
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. court — for sport
  16. pop — music
  17. court — of law
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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