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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ground — a position
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. kid — child
  5. current — of water
  6. firm — decided
  7. current — electric
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stand — to bear
  10. kid — to tease
  11. firm — steady
  12. court — of a king
  13. spring — the season
  14. court — for sport
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. ground — the earth
  18. firm — a company
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. spring — of water
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. current — happening now

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