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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. drill — army training
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. degree — an amount
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mate — a partner
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wound — an injury
  18. court — for sport
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. court — of a king
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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