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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. court — of law
  3. season — of the year
  4. court — of a king
  5. ground — a position
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. last — finally
  10. court — for sport
  11. cell — a phone
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. season — in sport
  15. last — final
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. ground — crushed
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. cell — in biology
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. last — to go on

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