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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. ground — the earth
  3. court — for sport
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. court — of a king
  6. wake — a trail
  7. current — happening now
  8. last — final
  9. ground — a position
  10. last — finally
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. current — of water
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stock — shares
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ground — crushed
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. current — electric
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stock — goods
  23. dip — to sink
  24. court — of law

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