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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. land — a country
  4. rest — a break
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ground — a position
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. row — to paddle
  11. ground — crushed
  12. row — a line
  13. mark — a trace
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. kick — in football
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rest — what's left
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. court — for sport
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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