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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mug — a face
  5. bound — certain
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. game — a match
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. court — of a king
  14. present — there
  15. court — for sport
  16. present — the time now
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bound — obliged
  19. court — of law
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ground — a position
  23. mug — to rob
  24. present — a gift

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