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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 124 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pop — soda
  4. court — for sport
  5. pop — music
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. net — for catching
  8. current — happening now
  9. rash — a series
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. net — in sport
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rash — hasty
  14. court — of a king
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ground — a position
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. net — after costs
  19. current — of water
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pop — to visit
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. current — electric
  24. ground — crushed

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