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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bear — the animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bass — low music
  6. ground — a position
  7. court — for sport
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. track — to keep track
  10. court — of a king
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — of law
  17. sharp — clever
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bass — the instrument

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