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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. court — of a king
  4. object — an aim
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. land — to come down
  7. ground — the earth
  8. court — of law
  9. land — a country
  10. ground — a position
  11. court — for sport
  12. pop — to visit
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pop — soda
  16. land — ground
  17. object — a thing
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. object — to protest
  21. pop — music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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