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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. court — of a king
  10. last — final
  11. ground — crushed
  12. charge — in control
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wind — moving air
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ground — a position
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mark — a grade
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. charge — a price

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