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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — a trace
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fork — in a road
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. court — of law
  18. pop — music
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ground — a position

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