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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. court — of law
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cold — an illness
  12. ground — crushed
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. craft — boats
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. court — of a king
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — to handle
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — a skill
  24. prune — to trim

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