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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. net — for catching
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. drill — army training
  13. mate — a friend
  14. court — of a king
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. drill — the tool
  18. degree — from a university
  19. net — after costs
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pass — a permit
  23. degree — temperature
  24. net — in sport

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